Juxtaposition in Kroger

I pushed the "submit" button on my last class grades at 5:15 this afternoon--after spending the entire day in front of the computer grading, calculating, and posting. Six, yes SIX emails from the registrar reminding me I had outstanding grades. Yes, I know they were due today by 6--that is why I have been working on them for the entire last week since the papers and final exams were all submitted. Give me a break--I am going to check email and say "OMG--I had no idea that grades were due at 6 today." Wow, they have only been due at 6 on every Monday following the end of the semester since the first day I worked for this university? And, what? I would not have been grading and calculating and finalizing grades until TODAY when I got your reminders? Okay, enough of that.

When I finally finished grades (and oh, I really have been grading since the last two weeks of the semester, stopping only long enough Saturday to DO graduation and then right back at it Saturday night and Sunday and today), I decided I wanted steak for dinner.

I was in the check out at Kroger and had just piled my $60 worth of thick-cut rib-eyes, along with some potatoes and rolls on the counter when the woman in front of me said, "Wow, I wish I was coming to your house for dinner." I smiled. And then mentally made note of her very small package of ground beef on the counter...and watched while she counted out quarters to pay for it. Embarrassedly watched--as she counted out 5 stacks of quarters at a time...$1...$2...$3...$4...$5...hooray, she got back 15 cents in change!

I went next door and bought a $30 bottle of Clos du Val cabernet sauvignon--I can splurge a bit now that I can rarely drink wine on the current medication--two days with no meds and I can have a couple of glasses. Then I came home and replayed all the things I "should have done."

I don't guess it is any different than sitting in South Africa drinking 200 rand a bottle wine and eating a meal that costs as much as a family of 19 would spend in a month. The truth of it, though, is that it has bothered me ever since. The truth of it is that life is just not fair.