Grocery Stores and Markets Oh My!

So living in an intentional community involves a lot of different aspects and our house added two additional aspects this weekend. The first was a house trip to the local Kroger to buy house items. The second was a fun house event, we went to Findlay Market. This weekend has been filled with community, but I guess that’s what this experience is all about! Our house trip to the local grocery store is intended to help us make decisions as a house. We have decided that once a month we will all walk to the local Kroger together and agree upon what we should spend our house money on. We bought the basics; butter, bread, toilet paper, paper towels etc. It was intended to be a good way for us to discuss costs of items and where we were going to go with brand names. For instance, we buy Tide laundry detergent because I have sensitive skin. I know, I know, I am so high maintenance. This trip also doubles as something that is very important to me and my year of service. It allows us to be present in our own community. Our grocery store is not the best grocery store, there is a poor selection and most of the items are geared towards people who are living in poverty. This at times means a bad selection of produce or not having the option of 8 different brands of peanut butter. However, it is the only grocery store which is available within walking distance of our community. The people of our community need this grocery store to survive, and by giving my business to another Kroger I am hurting the store in my neighborhood. It is important for me to shop there to be present in our community. I like walking down the streets of Walnut Hills and breaking barriers with a disarming smile and warm greetings. It is surprising how friendly people can be when you just offer them a "hello, how are you today?" Sure not everybody is nice and appropriate to me, as is true in any neighborhood, but I just let that roll of my back and continue on my journey. The second thing we did was a trip to Findlay Market. Findlay Market is a gorgeous indoor/outdoor market where a lot of local vendors set up shops to sell a variety of chocolates, soaps and other knick knacks. I absolutely loved the vibe of the market. It seems like it will be a fun place to hang out during the summer months. I just have to remind myself that I am living simply when I am there. Otherwise, I will buy everything in sight. It was fun to stand at the candle shop with my roommates swapping candles to smell and making funny faces when we found the scent to be disagreeable. It was also nice to have a chance to interact in a more informal manner outside of the house. I hope that we continue to have community outings so that I can see more of what Cincinnati has to offer. Well, I should probably go and pack. I am headed to Tennessee to see my mom's side of the family! I am very excited to go, and I am also excited because my parents will be coming back with me! I can't wait to show them where I live, work and attend church. I hope everybody has a blessed week :) Sarah