It's the little things

When I tell someone that I've recently moved from New York City to the suburbs of Seminole, the first question I often get is, "Do you miss it?" When I answer in the affirmative, the follow-up question is always, "Well, what do you miss?"

I tell them that I miss the diversity, the culture of walking, and the restaurants. Oh, and the intangibles; the little things. Yet, when I'm probed to name one of these "little things" I often come up blank.

So, here is an example: Yesterday evening, I stopped at the local grocery store to pick up some fresh mint and limes. I had promised my mother-in-law, Donna, that I would make her a mojito before dinner, and I needed these two ingredients. I also needed some seltzer to use as a mixer, but I didn't remember this until I got back home. (How can a guy go to the store for three things but only come home with two of them? ARG.)

The mixer is vital to the making of any alcoholic drink, so I ran back out to pick up a can of seltzer. I stopped at the Hess gas station. No seltzer. In fact, no plain, bubbling water of any kind. Same thing at the Mobil station. Utterly flabbergasted, I ran into a CVS, which had a bottle of Perrier, which I bought with a sigh of relief.

In The City, every corner store not only has seltzer, it has a section of bubbly water, from the cheap to the pricey. This is something you can count on in any store. I know this because Shawn is a big fan of seltzer, an addiction she picked up in her pregnancy with Reilly. Her favorite brand was Vintage, which we would buy by the case if we could. Sadly, it is not sold in Florida.

And so, next time when someone asks me what I miss, I can say, "The seltzer. I really miss the seltzer." That should get an interesting reaction, no?