• A sign in front of the Trader Joe's in our city.

I went inside of a grocery store for the first time in about 45 days. I arrived with all of my Corona virus supplies: a small JanSport fanny pack filled with hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes, mask, credit cards, keys, and my wireless earbuds. we all went together in the family car and upon arrival saw a line that stretched past several of the adjacent stores. The line looked very long at first. Upon closer inspection, we realized that every shopper in line was spaced about six feet apart outside of the store. Each of them were guided by orange tape providing a convenient stopping point as the line progressed towards the door. As we waited we were all provided chilled bottles of water and sun shades. It was all very humane. And and very well thought out.

So many things occurred to me during this first shopping trip. One of them was how I failed to read directions. The sign provided clear direction on what to do as you approach the cashier to pay for your groceries. For some reason I failed to look beneath my feet, I never remember these directions, and I commented about how much there was to learn about the "unwritten rules" of shopping during the pandemic even as I failed to notice the plainly written ones for everyone outside.