Trina Machacek: Constants will change

Some things are constant. I look forward to them. It is calving time, and consistently each year I look forward to seeing the new little fellas in fields running in the warm sun with their tails up as they kick at life. Kittens are coming and new shoots on the trees are changing, well on their way to becoming shade for watermelon seed spitting contests. Constant and change go hand in hand, it seems.

The biggest constant in my life is change. I know that I am not the only the first nor will I be the last one who feels and figures this revelation out. Whether it is good, bad or indifferent change is going to pop its underestimated head up throwing a monkey wrench into your wash tub of life and then just sit back and watch you agitate! Yep, that was this past week.

First, the weather. I like to tout the saying that if you don’t like the weather here — just wait five minutes and it will change. I suspect that can be said of many places from Iowa to Montana to Nevada. Not so much San Diego, though. I’ve always heard that San Diegans live at 76 degrees all the time. Maybe that is where I need to go to get out of this “constant weather change” phenomenon. Probably not. I’m a little too much country. Anyway, I expect a weatherly constant change. I was not disappointed this past week. That’s not what I’m eluding to. OK, here’s the story…

I think it should be a law that a store is not allowed to revamp itself. I grocery shop about 120 miles from my home at a store that is to my liking. Good prices, people, meat, produce, etc. But this past year, they changed everything! The butter is no longer by the milk. The chips that went so easily next to the soda are not there, they are now at the other end of the store across from — well, it doesn’t matter. They just aren’t where they should be. Oh, I still shop there, I just have to get the lay of the land in my shopper’s head. The change is not something I have made friends with.

But, but, but! Yes, a “but” has spilled in here. “Clean up a ‘but’ on aisle 6!” HAHA Moving on. But I have noticed something in getting to know the new layout. Even though I have to travel a little more because I missed the toilet paper that was by the napkins and is now down from the trash bags, I am seeing new things. How can that be? This store was jammed before and now they are putting new goodies in for me to choose. There actually is some sort of reason for this change. And, finally, this is where I am going! Whew…

Change is good. It keeps me on my toes. It lets me get out of the muddy rut that I sometimes fall into and don’t even realize that I have become bogged down. Change will turn your head, make you look, test your strength all while softly pushing your buttons.

Another thing that constantly changes is conversation. I have noticed in the past year or so that I have this terribly rude thing happening in my life. I start a conversation with someone and the next day or so I realize that I don’t remember the end of the conversation. I must squish in an apology to anyone who might have been talking to me and I just either left physically or mentally. I have no idea why I have begun to do this and it is quite annoying to me, so I can only imagine how those who I am talking with feel. Am I the only one who does this? Are there others who don’t remember finishing talking to someone before moving on to the next person? This is a change in me that I hope doesn’t become a constant and that I am trying to constantly change, uh, when I realize that a change needs to happen to make me more consistent. Go back and re-read that one — I’ll wait!

So even though the gas station where I buy my milk every Thursday when the new milk comes in has decided to not carry the tortilla chips I like so I have had to change to a new brand — I know that they will constantly strive to have my business by smiling when I come in and laughing at me because I walk away mid-conversation. Oh, and that the chips will always be in the first aisle as I come in the door. Thank you very much, Rich!

Trina lives in Eureka, Nev. Find her on Facebook or share with her at itybytrina@yahoo.com. Really!