This One, Not My Job

This One, Not My Job
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: I'm not exactly sure. When I bought it, I thought it was organic cinnamon. (See confession.)
Usage: Once.
How long kept: Probably 3 weeks.
Why kept: Guilt. (See confession.)
Destination: Compost.

Confession: I love buying bulk foods from my local, family owned, health food store. They've been holding their own against Whole Foods' entry into our neighborhood.

I do cop to shopping at WF. (Guilt.) Some items, like their olive oil, are better products than my little store offers. Other times, it's laziness -- I don't make it to the health food store when it's open. I know that if I don't shop there, it might not be there.

And I don't want that to happen.

On 9/11, we were evacuated from our homes. When we came back to the neighborhood, the credit card I took to the store didn't work. One of the owners said, "Take your food.  We know you, come back and pay us when you have cash."

You think they'd do that at Whole Foods?

I use a lot of cinnamon, it's both tasty and healthy. If this is cinnamon, it has something awful mixed into it. Like dirt. Maybe it's actually another spice. (Or, dirt mixed with another spice.)

I've been hanging onto this thinking that I should tell the health food store that something is wrong with this. Not so that I can get my $2.29 back. But because it's the right thing to do; if I owned the store, I'd want to know!

(My mom would totally take this back to The Jewel. You might have to have lived in the midwest to get that one.)

So these jars of, um, yech? have been hanging out in my cabinet, and then on my counter, while I have been dreading this conversation.

"S" has pointed out a quote, used by a great being: "We're not in charge. We are responsible." And I really do kind of try to live to this ethic.

Enough. It's compost now.   I can't be responsible for everything.   This one, I delegate to the universe.   Or one of my cinnamon-loving neighbors.

Confession, part deux: I bought some new cinnamon the other day. At Whole Foods.

Bonus:   If the secret ingredient really is dirt, it will add some "spice" to the compost.