Hallelujah!

(Warning: I feel like this post showcases my obsessive and over-thinking nature more than anything I've written in awhile. You've been warned.)

Today I took what I thought would be just an ordinary trip to Harris Teeter for a few items. But as I was in line to check out I spotted something distinctly Carolina blue out of the corner of my eye. My eyes zeroed in on the checkout counter one line over where, sure enough, there was a big stack of Carolina blue reusable bags. Only, it wasn't just the color of my precious Carolina, it was actually something Carolina, interlocking NC and "Turn it blue" logo in all.

For a minute I paused, thinking I was back in the Harris Teeter on 15-501 in Chapel Hill that I shopped at for four years. (That has since closed.) But no, here I was in my Capitol Hill grocery store with a stack of bags imploring shoppers to show their love for their Tar Heels - and Harris Teeter.

I've seen bags for the Nationals and Redskins, but those are local teams. And UNC love outside of NC is hardly novel - I've seen it everywhere, including London and Venice. But still, I was floored.

Could it be that after two long years of life outside of NC, my new home has finally come around and seen the greatness that is UNC? That the same store, where just two weeks ago a Duke-loving bagboy commented on my Johnny T-Shirt bag by saying he had never seen a Carolina bag in here, was now happily hocking the gear of the reigning national champions? Will they start showing all the basketball games now? Will I no longer have to explain what a Tar Heel is?

Probably not. Will I be going back to buy one of the bags despite the fact that I will be in NC in two days and in Chapel Hill in seven? But of course. UNC probably has about as much as my money from merchandise as they do from my tuition, so why stop now.

It's silly, but it made me happy for a few minutes and I strongly believe in embracing the little things in life. Especially when they involve one of my most favorite things, which in my world, is hardly little.