After years of following the proper diet for severely active IBD, once the disease settled down, I could finally eat without too many restrictions. That's when I fell in love with food and cooking. One of my favorite parts of this newfound obsession was doing the grocery shopping. I would listen to music or have a Starbucks and fill my cart with ingredients I would be excited to work with. I found it enjoyable and as a way to force myself to slow down.
This may sound a little strange... I mean, I don't know anyone else who likes grocery shopping... Or maybe I've only noticed it recently... regardless...
Unfortunately, with constant super low energy plus some mobility difficulties, grocery shopping has become an activity that I can barely handle. Most of the time I need someone to help me or I can only buy a couple of necessities, and I wouldn't be able to take my time to really enjoy it.
So as much as it pains me to give up the experience (however miniscule), I was ecstatic to find out about a Click and Collect program held at a local grocery store, one which is only about a five minute drive away. I got to browse through the categories (ps awesome user-friendly interface), take my time, enjoy the process, choose, click and pay, then I get to simply show up at the store to pick it all up.
Do you have any idea how amazing this is? It matters a little less now because I don't live on my own anymore; I have help, but when I was living alone, grocery shopping trips completely zapped my already depleted energy. This program is amazing :).
It allows me keep my independence and lets me put my energy into something else.
It's a small victory, but victories are always gratifying, no matter the size.