Navigating the world is rough enough without having to keep secondary "psychical" maps on hand. Remember good old deja vu? I do. I remeber that transient scenario...that bridge from deja vu to recognition and, finally, to nostaligia. Anything can set off this distinctive chain of events that ignights longings and fond memories...the smell of ammonia conjuring images of a school lunchroom...a distant church bell harkening back to the good old days of one's hometown. You know...the goods.
So why is it that the trend of modern society to erradicate any unique characteristics a location may or may not possess? (Don't worry...I know I used a keyphrase like "modern society" that usually marks the beginning of a long political rant, but nothing could be further from my intent. Trust me...)
I got the deja vu today. Only, this time, the bridge from deja vu led to the brick wall of disorientation...then, ultimately, to disillusionment. OK...here's my question:

Why do all the STOP & SHOPS look EXACTLY the same?

All the way from the layout of the Ben & Jerry's frozen section right down to the location of the 6 for $1.99 roll bins. MIRROR IMAGES. I had the unfortunate privledge of visiting TWO separate shops...in different cities...on the same day. On the 2nd visit, whilst passing the holiday cookie table near the self-serve checkout lanes, I had to stop (and NOT shop) for a moment and gather my bearings.
What city was I in? What time was it? And the YEAR? THE YEAR?!?!
This confusion, of course, leads to some unnecessary self-query. "Am I getting senile? My ID says I'm 30...that's probably not the case." I persist. "Am I bogging myself down with so much activity that I've become easily derailed? Is there something METAPHYSICAL going on with my reality?" Right about then, I let me have it. "Have I become some sort of multi-dimensional hitchhiker...skimming realities and jumping planes without conscious effort?"
Oh, if it were only that interesting.
Organization, in this society, is a virtue of the highest regard. Organized = efficient. It's that simple. Unfortunately, the first casualty of organization is almost always imagination. The science of order is pretty cut and dry, and most people HATE change, so...well...
OK...there's TWO guys working at a company. One guy went to art school, self-published a fanzine, had some poetry printed in the local paper, and has a really snazzy idea for organizing the pre-packaged cold-cuts section. The OTHER guy graduated from accounting school...with HONORS (Cum Laude...whatever...), and alphabetized the entire International foods-spotlight lane...just like they have it in the store in the next town over...and the one next to that...and the one in Frisco. Who wakes up with a job the next day?
I dunno. I'm sure it makes sense...but I know that I'll never have fond memories of my local Stop & Shop, because, wherever I go (like those paintings with the eyes that follow you around the room) it'll always be the same store looking back at me. There's no more magic in actually BUYING something at these big chains. There is only "need" and "possesion" and, quite honestly, the stuff doesn't taste THAT good.