Slice of Life Story Challenge March 28 -In Pursuit of Peas


Out of necessity I journeyed into the supermarket today.  A single item was required. -A single item central to a recipe I had identified for our evening meal. If I could have avoided going in, I would have danced with delight. But alas, I was forced to accept the painful reality that spending time wandering the aisles was unavoidable. And so I blundered in…

The sight that greeted me was dispiriting. People in profusion. Checkout lines disappearing down the aisles. -Shopping baskets and trolleys absorbing space. An oncoming wave wandering shoppers of epic proportions began to swirl around me.

I dived in. Ducking and waving between shuffling shoppers I plunged deeper into this consumer hellhole. The frozen food section at the very rear of the supermarket was my target. I found the object of my desire, - a single packet of frozen peas and immediately began the return journey. Checkout bound, with quarry in hand, I felt as if I was part of a horror movie where everyone and everything around me was moving in ultra slow motion.  Every where I turned I was confronted by trolley blockades, indecisive confused consumers and shelf stacking staff.  So many dead ends, so much rerouting required.  I found myself fighting hard to suppress a growing sense of aisle anger. The checkout seemed a shore too far.  Finally, I spot the finish line. However, the queue to the self checkout stretches further than an elastic snake.

My heart sinks yet again. I’m fifteenth in line. I’m stranded. -And I’m holding a bag of frozen peas. What have I done to deserve this?  Well, I don’t know actually. But, I do know why I have a strong aversion to supermarkets.

I eventually emerge with my pack of peas and I look back at the mayhem. Why do people panic buy before holidays? Why do they feel the need to stock up with trolley loads of consumerables?  Is it because the supermarkets will be closed tomorrow, Good Friday?

With peas in hand, I walk away and I don’t look back.

Comments

  1. drferreriblogspot.com28 March 2013 at 20:59

    It's like stores before storms....we need to be prepared for what lies ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dogtrax28 March 2013 at 21:15

    When you make shopping an adventure, as you do, it reminds me of how we can view the world through storytelling, no matter how normal the task might be. This year, during Slice of Life, I kept with six word stories, and lost some of that narrative view that I did in the past. I miss it.
    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  3. Melanie Meehan28 March 2013 at 21:35

    Who knew a bag of peas could provide such a meaningful moment and a great small story. I actually find peas confusing since there are so many different types--wasn't thinking about the crowds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. elsie29 March 2013 at 02:11

    My husband would be right there with you thinking hellhole in a grocery store. You cracked me up with your descriptive and alliterative writing. I hope dinner was great.

    ReplyDelete
  5. writekimwrite29 March 2013 at 06:53

    "If I could have avoided going in, I would have danced with delight." set the stage for drama. Seen through your eyes this pursuit of peas was full of danger and intrigue. Your story was full of adventure. I may never view a trip to the supermarket in the same way. Your story, Alan made me dance with delight. So glad you escaped and will live to write some more!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not eve...
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers...
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intentio...
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to...
Read more

Exploring Themes in Poetry With Emerging Writers

Image
There is so much more to poetry than haiku and acrostics. Yet, so many young poets never get to experience the rich breadth of poetry beyond these highly structured forms. Why? Primarily, it’s about their teachers comfort levels with poetry. We often teach to what we know, meaning that being adventurous and taking young poets into new realms is not part of the poetic landscape for many. This sells young poets and poetry itself short. Last week I had the pleasure to again work with a group of young poets from Derrimut Primary School grade 5/6 in Melbourne’s west. We have been exploring patterns and repetition in poetry. We have explored personification as a literary device to develop the writing of poetry. We delved into the idea of writing through a mask to provide inanimate and animate entities with a voice. They told stories in words from their own perspective. On this occasion we again went to the edges and began to explore poetry through themes. We discussed a range ...
Read more