Today I went to Hannaford (what else is new?) to return a movie I had rented from the Red Box. Anyway, I needed some cash, so I decided I would buy a kombucha as a treat and then grab some cash back at check-out. While making my way down the natural foods aisle I scanned the bath and body products for some deodorant, but couldn’t find any. I recently ran out of my all-time favorite degree clinical protection (works like a charm, by the way), and I’ve decided to reduce the amount of chemicals that seep their way into my body by switching to a more natural deodorant. I tried the no deodorant thing for a few days and it just doesn’t feel right and I end up very smelly by night time. I mean, it’s not like people are telling me I smell, but I notice it. In the gym atmosphere, a small amount of body odor is acceptable, but what about when I go out? It’s all about a balance, right? I figured I might find some options in the regular personal hygiene aisle.

I ended up with not one, but two kinds of “natural” deodorant. See the photos below. I tend to be indecisive and I suppose I could keep one in my travel bag and one at home. My first test is the smell and feel test. I rubbed one on each of my forearms to test of how they smell and how they feel when applied. The GEODEO feels cool and wet and smells nice in the container, but loses it’s scent when applied to my arm. The Crystal Essence feels wet as well, but smells awesome, even after it’s dry – very light and fresh. My second test will be to try one under each of my arm pits. I will let you know how that goes. Both received mixed reviews on Amazon, and it seems like it all depends on one’s body chemistry. Stay tuned for more of my deodorant adventures.

The best part of my trip to Hannaford, however, was when I was waiting in the check-out line. I scanned the registers for the shortest line, as usual. Since I only had a few items I assumed that my quickest bet would be the express lane. When I got there, there was a tiny, older, gray-haired women unloading a cart of about 30 items. Fourteen item limit, lady! Come on! That was my first reaction. I heard her joking around with the cashier, who, by the way, was very gracious, and I had a flash back. Earlier in my Hannaford adventure, I heard the same older lady asking for help with something because her eyes were bad. Hence the 30 items in the 14-item lane – she couldn’t (or didn’t) read the sign. No big deal, I thought to myself, I’m not in a hurry. Even if I was in a hurry I probably wouldn’t care.

So the lady starts chatting it up with me about how she’s so old. She was 80! The cashier and I both helped her through the credit card payment process. She thanked us both a bunch of times and wished us a good day. As she wheeled her cart away, I said, “I hope I’m doing that well when I am 80” and the cashier, who couldn’t have been much older than me, said, “I’ll be happy if I make 70”. In my head I was thinking, “Jeez, lady, you gotta aim higher than that!” As I walked out to my car and watched the older women do her thing, completely independently, I thought about aging and how I am not scared of it. I do what I can to set myself up for a smooth aging process, but I am definitely not afraid of getting older. It was really a nice treat to be able to help this older women with something as simple as sliding a credit card to pay for her groceries, and it somehow made me hopeful on this dreary day. Sometimes I simple pit stop (pun totally intended) can turn into a bright spot in your routine.