Life in the Cereal Aisle



In full-on shopper mode, I turn down the cereal aisle and come up short. A thin, slightly slouched, old man stands smack dab in the center of the lane. Staring. His mouth agape, his eyes glazed.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“Yes, I’m looking for Special K.”

I turn toward the shelves and suddenly they stretch out in either direction like Octopus tenticles reaching for prey. I’ve never realized how many brands of cereal there are until I see it through the old man’s eyes. For half a minute, I worry that I won’t be able to spot his preferred brand either. But then my younger eagle eyes spot it and I pluck a box off the shelf for him.

Fast forward about ten (or so) years to this afternoon when I stopped at the store to pick up a few things. This time I’m sauntering behind the cart because I’m seriously not in any sort of hurry. Then I find myself in the cereal aisle. Staring at the Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms and…ugh…Raisin Bran. And I realize I really want something chocolate or with marshmallows—dang it! But I don’t have any kids at home as my excuse anymore.

Maybe I’m not at the stage of the old man, overwhelmed by the shear number of choices, but I’ve taken yet another step in his direction. How does this happen so fast and at what point do we accept our own personal cereal choices? #SugarCerealsForTheWin

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