You ARE Enough

I entered the parking lot of Shop Rite at 1:43 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon knowing full well I was in for a hectic shopping experience. It was the day before Passover and people were driving like crazed lunatics trying to grab the last parking spot. It was like a modern day version of “Musical Chairs”. I knew if the parking lot was like this that inside the store would be pure chaos. Armed for battle with my reusable TJ Maxx turquoise/paisley bag and the determination of an army I followed the crowd through the front door.

My first encounter with a small mob of people was exactly what I expected. Arguments over who reached the banana display first with their cart. I was able to escape the “I was first” melee that was brewing and ducked down Aisle 2 in Health and Beauty. People were flying past me, some shouting into their phones while others texted and rammed their carts into me because they were swallowed up in thought.

Trying to enter and exit each aisle was ultra challenging in that you needed to jockey for position into a lane and pull yourself around all while I tried to keep my poker face in check so I didn’t let my “I am starting to lose it” look appear. The truth was I was starting to lose it. I was trying to keep it in check and not let things create a tidal wave that would wash over me.

After successfully completing my supermarket scavenger hunt as I like to call it, I tried to find the check out line which I knew would be not only long but filled with complaints from people who just like to complain to anyone who will listen.

I settled into the line at Aisle 12. Behind me was a woman with a cart overflowing with groceries. She was on the phone with her mother reviewing what was needed for Passover dinner. Her voice got more and more frantic as she talked. There was silence when she hung up. That’s when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and she said “Excuse me but I would love to take a picture of your hoodie.” I must of looked at her funny because I forgot what I was wearing. Recently I discovered an ad campaign on Instagram that introduced me to a hoodie that said “You are enough” and on the back “Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it…Love, the person in front of you.” When I looked back she had tears in her eyes. This launched a convo that really made me dig deep all while passing Tide laundry pods and Gain fabric softener (which by the way is on sale this week). We chatted about all the negativity in the world and letting life take you over. I said I forget to reset and remember who I am. I’m guilty of it in major ways some days and before you know it, you’re on a monster line in a supermarket trying to remember your own name. We reached the register line and she introduced herself and said thank you for making me smile today. I wished her a happy holiday and we left to carry on with our Sunday lives.

I took the long way home and started to think about the conversation. I get caught up in my life, my crushing insecurities, and the day to day events. This forms a wall built by bricks of low self esteem. If I keep myself on this hamster wheel fueled by daily tasks, I can hit top speeds and start to spiral out of control. My mind won’t shut off. By day three of any given week I’m a mess. I compare myself to everything and everyone instead of remembering who I am. Who I am at the core is how I’ve arrived at this place at Level 58 in life. I may not be where I thought I would be but the truth is – are any of us there? Sure, I still need to take on life’s daily tasks but every once in a while I need to step back and remember that it’s not a race. I certainly don’t have to be first (I never am and that is ok). I struggle with this deeply.

Next time you are waiting in line and the frenzied, overwhelming feeling starts to bubble up from your toes, remember that the world really is a better place with you in it. The alternative notion of leaving early is not a thought. It’s hard work but we have to try. Please know you ARE enough.

Originally released April 2024

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Author: KikiFikar

Kiki Fikar is a native New Yorker who is passionate about taking the day to day life we all experience and sharing it in her tales from Suburbia. She will often be found at the gym, writing snippets each day for future story lines, listening to her two children create their lives, and building the perfect beachfront home and writing retreat in her mind.

24 thoughts on “You ARE Enough”

  1. This is a great reminder. Thanks for sharing it today. In the midst of a crazy world people need to know this. And the world is definitely a better place with you in it…especially my comment section. 🙂☺️

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  9. Well done.. great story.. touched me.. also 143 is super special to me… this may sound weird.. but God uses it to tell me that HE loves me… the moment my eyes see those numbers.. I feel “I love you” in my spirit… every time I see them

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  18. Kiki, love your stories about the day-to-day things that many of us, in the mad rush, tend to let drift by unnoticed. Your writing is a wonderful combination of humor, pathos, and reflection that invite a second read. I’m glad I found you in WP land, and I love the hoodie… that lady will remember you for a long, long time 😎❤️🙏

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  19. Thank you so very much. So happy we connected! Kindred spirits for sure. When I started this blog, I wanted the theme to just be my day-to-day and literally tales from suburbia. We have so much going on in our lives at any given time. We just have to take a few steps back and look around. I feel a new blog coming on. Please hold.

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  20. Love your descriptions, I find it hard to cope with any amount of people these days, spatial awareness has gone, just awareness. Freaks me out so, I don’t go. We live in the country now, five people nearby and it IS wonderful but makes joining the milling throngs much harder. I blame mobile devices and what is mistakenly know as social media, we’ve lost connection to the real world, real people, real life. Very sad 😦

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  21. Brian – you are heard. I can see where the shift can change someone. Please reach out if I can help. Connection and feeling grounded can always help even if a little bit. ❤️

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