Noooo ... I've become one of them

Shopping here on base is an interesting experience. I've already shared the stories about the holiday shortages - baking chocolate, artichoke hearts, butter - but there are other things that make you wish you could just for a moment transport yourself back to the time when you had a plethora of choices. Like standing in the soap aisle at let's say Target, and instead of being in a rush and grabbing what was familiar, crossing it off my list as I pushed the cart forward and I was on to the next thing - why, why didn't I stand there and marvel at all the choices I had?

Here we do have choices - it isn't like they only sell Ivory bar soap - but hey I'm a girl and every now and then even I like having something that smells nice but not so girly that the three males in this house and the one extreme tomboy won't use it. And so it was with delight that several months ago I found that the Exchange (NEX) was stocking the Pure & Natural brand and the fragrance was Rosemary Mint. Perfect. No flowers, no almond oil (nut allergies), no coconut (nut allergies). Just clean, fresh smelling. We've had mint and rosemary in almost every place we lived. What can I say - it spoke to me and I grabbed 3, one for each bathroom. I felt like I was purchasing a luxury item but in reality it was still far less expensive than the Bath and Body Works soap in the speciality section around the corner. At home everyone liked it and I felt like I had scored.

This weekend my daughter mentions that we need more hand soap and since I was headed over to the NEX I said I would pick some up. When I got to the aisle I sort of stood there dazed and confused as the entire section of Pure & Natural soap had been replaced by ... Dial. I was disbelief - were we the only family on the entire base that had actually liked the stuff? I suddenly have the thought that perhaps they had just moved it ... they were toying with me. Maybe they had devoted an entire endcap to the brand?

I found it around the corner but the only feature it was getting was in the clearance bin. 75% off. I stood there for a moment and debated ... if I bought all that was left would that qualify me as a hoarder? I preferred to think of it as an savings opportunity - at 75% off - and what appeared to be a last chance. It looks like the Exchange is clearing their shelves of our favorite brand and so I cleared the clearance bin.

Well there are certainly worse things in life to encounter than one of your favored items no longer being stocked and I do now possess over 15 bottles thanks to the markdown. But it's not like back home where if let's say Walgreens doesn't have what you want and you just get in your car and drive over to CVS and they do. Here on base it's more akin to shopping at a company store. You get what you get - and be happy with it. And so I am. I will savor the good stuff while it lasts, appreciate it more, and try to pay attention to the lesson life just taught me – to learn not take anything for granted. Even soap. Inspiring.