There was an early morning rush for the front door, as the buzzer range loudly at about 6.15am Sunday. The buzzer for my front door was recently replaced, and the the ringer is maybe a little bit loud. So when it rang I was awoken suddenly, and went into a bit of a panic. And then it rang again.
I had ordered grocery delivery for the 6 AM to 9 AM window, but I was expecting them closer to the end of the window. I usually wake up at 5:30 AM, but I spend an hour in bed listening to the radio and reading online before getting up and putting on my prosthetic leg.
I wasn’t ready, so I rushed to put on my leg without taking the necessary time. To put on a prosthetic leg, you need to carefully put on a silicone sleeve that connects to and protects your stump. Due to a range of factors, including temperature, your remaining limb can vary considerably. So you also need to put on amputee socks that accommodate the daily variations in the size of your remaining limb. It usually takes me about 90 seconds to do this, but sometimes I have to go back and do it again if I haven’t gotten it right.
Yesterday morning, I couldn’t get it together in the rush to answer the buzzer and meet the grocery delivery person. So, armed with my crutches, I “hopped” to the door, instead of walking.
“Sorry I’m a bit slower to answer,” I told him, pointing to my prosthetic leg on the floor.
Even though I have capacity in my NDIS package for a support worker to accompany me to the shops, I’m really enjoying home delivery.
We had groceries home delivered when I was a young child, but I’m a relatively late personal convert. I’ve always preferred the idea of going to the supermarket for a few smaller shopping excursions. I like the social aspect, as well as the surprise element of discovering new items, seasonal fresh produce, and surprise specials.
But my personal circumstances have changed in the last few months, and online grocery shopping and deliveries have been a very positive revelation. For me, as a single person now living with a disability, home deliveries have been a good way of settling into my new life.
Earlier, I had considered one of those meal delivery plans, but decided against them for a couple of reasons. I didn’t really like the meals being offered in the various plans, they seemed quite expensive, and I was also worried I would end up ordering too much food and throwing things out.
There are some terrible figures about the amount of food waste most homes have each year. But because I don’t have the capacity to quickly pop down to the shops like I used to, including for takeaway, I need to think more carefully about what I’m ordering. As a result, I’m not throwing out the actual food, even though there is probably more packaging going into the bin.
The reason for the early morning delivery? I was meeting some friends for a picnic lunch in a nearby park, and I needed to cook some chicken and make a salad in preparation.
Next time, I think I’ll organise a later delivery.