Barter, Choices and

Another lesson, another reminder about how Americans, (including me) took the good life for granted has arrived. Life has indeed changed.

Perhaps barter is back. Remember that long forgotten practice? We learned about it in grade school, then the word faded to merely a dim memory.

Will it return?

Perhaps I can offer one unopened roll of Toilet Tissue for a pristine package of Kleenex.

Do you think that is a fair exchange?

Perhaps not today, but in a week or possibly two, it may become the deal of the week.

As the supermarket shelves empty and alerts appear minute by minute on the TV screen, we suddenly comprehend that we have lived in the land of luxury.

A two sided aisle in the local warehouse once held a vast supply of paper products. There was seldom space available to cram another brand.

Now, the metal shelves stand alone and totally empty.

Clorox was an item often purchased occasionally. Today finding an unopened bottle hidden in the back of the closet is akin to winning a lottery. Well, almost, if not quite, but perhaps soon.

Reluctantly, I recall tossing almost empty purse sized containers of hand sanitizer into the rubbish if I changed a purse. Ah, those days of plenty, now when recalled, reappear wrapped in guilt.

Today I discovered one large can of imported plum tomatoes (vital for my pasta sauce) sequestered in the cupboard.. It is the secret ingredient for the penne that not only brings zest to the traditional lenten dish, but provides comfort when its amazing aroma fills the air.

When it does, if I close my eyes, I return to a large kitchen on a Friday evening . While our family sat around the yellow chrome table, Mom filled our plates with her Irish version of an Italian neighbor’s recipe. For a few brief seconds I can forget coronavirus and relax in yesterday’s embrace.

I seriously wonder when or if imported tomatoes will be available again in the foreseeable future. Still tonight I think I will open the lone can and prepare my dinner.

After all, who knows what tomorrow might bring, beyond a lesson learned for all of us.