Do A Good Turn Daily

Saturday evening was my grocery shopping day. I always start at Trader Joe’s and then work my way through other grocery stores if I need to.

Like every Trader Joe’s I have ever encountered, the one close to our apartment in Atlanta is pretty much always crowded, busy and full of people way too wrapped up in their own lists and lives to pay attention to anyone else.

This means that the parking lot is more often than not packed and hectic. Usually, I will just avoid the main lot altogether and go straight to the back lot. It’s a longer walk, but It’s not a big deal.

This Saturday it was raining and cold so I decided to try for the main lot. Right as I was turning into the lot, I noticed a lone, empty parking spot right at the back of the lot and managed to snag it.

I got out of my car, grabbed my reusable bags (because environment), and headed into the store. Right as I was grabbing my bags I noticed a shopping cart unceremoniously shoved up on the sidewalk instead of in the cart rack. I shook my head and turned to walk into the store. After about two steps I promptly turned back around and rescued the cart.

I needed one anyway, there was no point in leaving that one there for some poor store associate to clean up.

I headed into the store, perused my list and noticed the empty shelves (yay Atlanta). It was okay though, I usually didn’t need the normal things that go out of stock.

I knew I wanted tortillas for pizza and after seeing the shelves made a mental note to go to another store to get one when I saw the last pack of low-carb tortillas. I grabbed it and when on to produce and managed to get the last pack of celery.

After checking out, I headed to Whole Foods for the last odds and ends and got the last pint of my favorite pint of Cashew milk ice cream and then I was able to magically get out of the parking lot without the standard 15-minute traffic back up.

I don’t necessarily believe in karma, but I do believe that doing small things like picking up trash, righting a bike that’s fallen over, or holding the door open for a parent struggling with a stroller makes the world a better place for everyone.

And honestly, good deeds have a way of eventually coming back to you.

A while ago, I grabbed another abandoned cart and put it in its rack at Costco and Nate said “Do a Good Turn Daily” to me. It’s a boy scout saying and it’s stuck with me. When I saw that abandoned cart at Trader Joe’s and started to walk away, that phrase popped into my head.

I don’t know if grabbing that cart had anything to do with the tortillas, celery, ice cream or traffic, but I know that grabbing it made someone’s life a little easier that day and that’s enough for me.