Walking with too much

Gateway shadows c.2009

When I was a child, my mom and I would always pass by the Whittier Blvd. arch on our walks to the Commerce shopping center. Everytime I pass by that arch now, I'm reminded of her forgetfulness. 

My mom would constantly forget we didn't have a car to put our purchases into. She'd always buy too much, and would often use me as a sort of shopping cart. Carrying five grocery bags on each arm was normal for me. The most embarrassing thing she and my grandma ever made me do was to "wear" an extra grocery bag as a backpack by putting my arms through the bag handles.

Some habits are hard to break. Those experiences are exactly why you'll find me carrying a massive amount of things from a car at once rather than making multiple (and more practical) trips. Sometimes if I walk or take public transportation to a store, I might forget I didn't drive there... just like mom did.