Negotiating the Rapids

Today's chores included a trip to Walmart to stock up on cat food and replenish a few non-grocery supplies before my trip next week. I had done this last week without incident, but I knew that today would include at least one hazard. I found more. First was the row of carts near the front door with some close-out items marked way down. Like a twin box of Stove Top Stuffing for 25 cents! On any normal Thursday I would have bought at least 4 (after checking the expiration date to make sure it wasn't too far gone). I mean, it's a quarter! And sure, I don't normally buy stuffing mix because it's salty and overpriced, but for a quarter, I can work it in. But I also know that a year from now at least 2 of those boxes would still be in the pantry, now being pushed aside because the expiration date is getting a bit "iffy," but of course not throwing them out because "it's perfectly good food." Second was the foray into the grocery side of the store to buy coffee filters. It's easier to avoid temptation by simply not going where you know it's going to jump out and bite you, like staying out of the cookie aisle when you're on a diet. But I wasn't ready to do without coffee for the next 4 weeks just because I was out of filters. So I went, resolutely looked away from the bread side of the aisle, got the filters, and escaped. But then there was the check-out line, with its rows of candy bars and snacks, and my real desire for a soft drink, especially knowing that it was "happy hour" at Sonic, and drinks were half price. My lunch had been skimpy, and I haven't had a Sprite for nearly a week, and it was hard to just pay for my purchases and go directly home, without passing Go and collecting $200. I managed. I paid attention to the things that tempted me, recognized the impulses for what they were, and moved on. The world did not come to an end; it didn't even notice. It's all good.