I wrote a blog post several years ago about finding myself confused in a hair-care aisle. It came about after one of my daughters told me that if I wanted my hair to look good I needed to put “product” in it.

So, off I went to Walmart to buy “product,” only to find that there were two full rows of mousses and gels and sprays, but not a single thing called “product.”

I was reminded of that post last weekend when I found myself in the skin care aisle of the local Walmart looking for a face care lotion appropriate for a 60 something woman. You know the ones – with “anti-aging” in big letters and a promise to turn back the clock 20 years in seven days. 

But just like it was a few minutes earlier when I was looking for something that would unclog the bathroom toilet, I found myself playing a a guessing game. Trying to decipher the Spanish words describing the products and finally just grabbing something and hoping for the best.

Even though my Spanish has gotten marginally better (letting me occasionally get the meal that I thought I ordered, the shampoo that’s best for “fine hair,” or a cut of meat that’s close to what the recipe called for), I’m perpetually confused while shopping and rarely confident about what I’m putting in my cart. 

It’s a constant reminder of how many words I don’t know. Basic Spanish rarely gives you the words for finding flank steak or lotions that turn back the clock. 

When I arrived home with my new face lotion, I google translated the descriptive words on the package to see what I had. It turned out that I didn’t get home with an anti-aging product, but I did get home with an anti-wrinkling one.

Close enough.