My little pink wagon

By Marilyn Salzl Brinkman of St. Joseph

Everyone should have a little pink wagon. Mine came about when I moved from a four-bedroom house to a third-floor, two-bedroom apartment in Cold Spring.

I had to leave behind or relocate many of my things. For two weeks, I was fine unpacking and adjusting to my smaller home. However, one day I realized I needed groceries. Off to the grocery store I went. I had a list, so I grabbed a shopping cart and began picking up items I needed—some I did not really need, but what the heck. I will need them sooner or later, I thought. Into the cart they tumbled.

Before I got to the last aisle, my cart was jam-packed to the top. I checked out my stash. A nice clerk helped me bag them and take them out to my car. On the way home, I wondered where on earth I was going to put all my new groceries. I was barely unpacked. I was just a bit worried.

When I got to my underground garage, I realized I would have to make two trips to get my cache up to my third-floor apartment. I was already exhausted. On my second trip, I still had too many packages to carry. I felt overwhelmed. It was like I was still packing and unpacking. I should get myself a shopping cart. Or, buy fewer groceries. Maybe go more often. What a quandary.

I talked to my daughter about it. She suggested I get a little wagon. Without thinking it through, online seemed a good place to start. I searched, deleted, searched again. I gave up.

That night, I dreamed that I really needed a “collapsible” wagon. I again searched the internet and found what seemed like a perfect solution. A child’s wagon. I went back to sleep.

My little pink wagon has been a big help for me. Contributed photo

The next morning, I got back online. This time, I found just what I wanted: a child-sized wagon that collapsed so I could keep it in my car trunk. Then I had to select a color. When Barbie pink came up, I selected it. It would arrive in three days. I could not wait.

When it arrived, I tugged it out of the box, pulled it apart, found the little tab to open it completely, and I had my grocery wagon. It felt like Christmas.

I was a bit embarrassed when my neighbors saw my cute Barbie pink wagon, but I didn’t care. Now I can get my groceries comfortably into my apartment.

Yesterday, I saw two more wagons just like mine, but none were Barbie pink.