Shopping? You Should Wear Your Glasses

5th August, 2011 - Posted by L. John Mason -

Yes, I am embarrassed to say that I should have worn my eyeglasses when I went shopping at the market for donuts this morning. On my way to work, I stopped to get an early morning peace offering to the TGIF Gods and when I got to the “baked goods” section I grab what I thought was a package of “Old Fashion” donuts. I was in a hurry and was not wearing my glasses. When I got to the office I invited all my co-workers to help themselves to my peace offering. A while later I went by to check on the donut eating progress and as luck would have it, I was wearing my glasses. The donuts looked a little different than I expected. They did not feel quite as I expected. They had a different taste and texture than I expected and so I read the label on the package. It said that the donuts I had acquired were actually glazed “Premium Yeast Raised Rings,” whatever that is. So I went to our ex-baker donut making expert and she said, “Yes, those are not Old Fashions they are “raised” donuts.” I was mortified. (Mortified is a word I rarely use nor a feeling I often have…) So I looked for an explanation and had to apologize to fellow staff members for not wearing my glasses when I was in the market shopping for donuts.

Now this is not life threatening but it does illustrate a point. You need to be vigilant when you are out in the world because you may be buying something that is not what you expect. I have made this type of mistake before, just never with snack food. What looks like a good deal may not be as you expect. We all learn these lessons but “haste makes waste” sometimes and even simple things need to be checked.

You may be saying, “what’s the big deal? Get over this!” It is not a big deal but I use this as a simple reminder that mistakes can be avoided with better focus. “Better focus” is easier said than done in this 24/7 fast paced world that we live in. Certain distractions can be reduced by making better choices and limiting the amount of things that you try to do in the present moment.

So be careful! I hope that you never arrive home after shopping with “Premium Yeast Raised Rings” in your bag if what you wanted was Old Fashions…