The Restory Retreat Centre

People buy their groceries in supermarkets. I do that too, but I also visit their story and real life drama sections. There is so much on offer, you won’t believe it. And the beauty is, in those aisles you don’t have to fork out a cent. The assistant at my checkout point yesterday must have been 15. Even younger if possible. I wondered how she got this job on leaving primary school. A dainty beautiful child with her fair hair, the glowing red pimple on her chin merely an indicator of her age. Somehow very active and lively behind her till. A little bird hopping, being positive and chirpy. A stark contrast to us adults trudging along, slowly swishing the flies with our tails. She startled me when all of a sudden she came out from behind her counter, came skipping towards me and placed her Closed sign on top of the bag of dog food draped across my trolley. “Oom* is last in the queue.” Back she hopped. I was the last one in her queue indeed. It was just after 13h00 and...

I won’t say it is my favourite place on a late Saturday afternoon – a huge supermarket in one of the Johannesburg suburbs. Earlier in the day I attended The Jesuit Institute’s development day for spiritual directors and prayer guides in Auckland Park. While being there Matilda sent me a text and asked that I get a few things for the family gathering on Sunday. Now, who am I to resist the love of my life? As is often the case buying groceries, you somehow get temporary companions walking with you up and down the aisles. Total strangers in sync loading their trolleys or baskets. He did not exactly fall into the category of one of my grocery travel companions, although we were in the same store at the same time. His route was too haphazard to qualify. Using his grocery trolley as a walker, he shuffled bent over from shelf to shelf, putting everything on his list - nowhere to be seen - on the little seat of the trolley. He would cross your path at the bread stands, disappear...