Ben drove to the grocery store and lost himself in the homey and mundane task of filling his cart with groceries. He took his time as it felt good to just be in the moment. There were some excellent cuts of beef and he spent some time talking with the butcher. He let the man talk him into a beautiful, if large, sirloin roast. He rationalized he would use the leftovers in lunches.

As always happened he found more than was on the list and had quite a full cart when he reached the checkout. He loaded the belt and waited for his turn when, in the lane next to...