The Science of Jockeying for the Right Aisle

Going shopping after the holidays is kinda stressful, not really remembering what you've got in the freezer, but knowing that despite the yogurt, cottage cheese, fish and leftover extra-cheesy matza-sagna in the fridge, the kids say there is nothing to eat. Nothing! Yes, after opening every drawer in the pantry, fridge and freezer, they usually cry out in anguish, "Ema, I am starving!!!!" So you run to the supermarket and you try to buy stuff that you know the family will like. You wagon is full of who-knows-what, and now... You've got to get on line. That's the hardest job of all - jockeying for the correct aisle in the supermarket.  You start counting wagons - four here, three there...but those three are all overloaded, five... but the first one's about finished.  The clock is clicking away. Your feet are hurting and it doesn't seem that you're making any headway. Time to switch lanes. But this time you have to be smarter, so you start guesstimating the number of items in the wagons around you. Whether you guesstimate by volume or piece is a whole separate part of the science. The lady with the screaming baby has about 63 things, depending on whether the cashier counts each baby food jar separately. The older couple have 48, but they're taking their time. You take a moment to wait and watch. You make your move to the "best" aisle. And then you just pray. Good luck to everyone on their post-holiday shopping. Life is full of challenges, but we grow from them - even the supermarket challenge.