The Wal-Mart Wormhole, I'm just sayin'

First off, let me just say that I love my life and wouldn't change a thing! The Army can be trying at times, but usually the adventures outweigh the hardships.

That being said, I'm beginning to think the human psyche wasn't meant to handle this much change in so short a time.

2007 - Arkansas
2008 - Tennessee/Kentucky
2009 - Florida
2010 - Mississippi
2011 - Colorado

The houses and neighbors and street names all begin to mesh in my brain becoming a hodge-podge of fractured memories. Am I seriously supposed to be able to keep all this straight?!

What's our address now?
Where again are the cars registered?
What was the name of our church this time?
What time zone are we in?

But,  there is one constant.
One ever-present, always recognizable edifice rising from the streets of the unknown.
A warehouse sized refuge with hypnotic fluorescent lighting and a familiar blue vest waiting to greet me at the door.
I give you . . .  Wal-Mart!

Ah, Wally! You stalwart of industry! You never fail to come to my rescue!
You are everywhere I go! And though your floor plan may vary from store to store, your comfortable familiarity remains!

A warning, though, my fellow travelers, all this 'familiarity' can give rise to a cloudy mind. Let down your guard and you allow the fog to take hold!
Alas, this has happened to me more times than I care to recount!

I'm shopping without a care in the world. I've let go the stresses of the latest move and of trying to navigate yet another city.
And then it hits me - I can't remember where I am!
Wal-mart is Wal-Mart is Wal-Mart. They look, act, and smell the same!
Am I in Florida or Kentucky? Beulah Land or Timbuktu?
And even If I manage to recollect the right state, which store am I in?
Did I stop on Hardy Street or Hwy 49? Am I at the Wiggins store or in Old Town?

I have long pondered the possibility that there is really only one Wal-Mart Store. That as you exit the parking lot in your particular part of the world, you are somehow transported to the Wal-Mart 'mother store' via some strange retail wormhole.
Obviously I have no hard proof, so I digress.

I love to explore new places.
Seeing new sights, tasting new treats, and shopping new stores is always exciting.
But everyone needs a touchstone.

And Walmart is mine!

I'm just sayin . . .