Giving Meaning to Rejected Cereal Bars
Good day, (insert your own name here)!
I just wanted to take the time to let you know that you are an amazing person and that you have so many people who care about you, including me. :)
Ok, I know that this is off to a really sappy start, but I'm just in a sappy mood I guess. Maybe it's the Starbucks peppermint mocha flowing through me or the fact that it's 60° out in November that has me so bubbly and mellow...whatever it is, I'll take it.
This post really has no rhyme or reason to it, I just wanted to talk about something that's on my mind, and today the topic is bars. Now I'm not talking about drinking bars, gymnastics bars, candy bars, or handle bars. I'm talking about cereal bars.
I have perused the aisles of Target many times throughout my life, and for those of you who know me well this should come as no surprise to you. I often pass the cereal bar section and see a flavor that I really want to try, but the only size available is a 12-count box. I don't want twelve bars, I want one! The first flavor I saw was banana with fudge filling. I think I went to look at them at least four times before I actually bought them, which is kind of ridiculous since the box is only around $3.00. I eventually bought them and had one or two. They were good, but as I suspected, not great, and they ended up sitting in my "rejected bars box" untouched for long periods of time. Now...repeat this entire story, but apply it to the month of October and the seasonal pumpkin cereal bars with vanilla filling. Yes, it happened again. Somehow, the word "Seasonal" stamped on a box overrides the fact that it's a 12-count box and my own trustworthy knowledge of knowing I'll never eat them all. ANYWAYS...I now have this box of banana and pumpkin cereal bars, collecting dust and taking up precious room on my pantry shelf. Knowing that I will in fact never eat them, I try and think of ways to get rid of them and give meaning to their (surprisingly lengthy) shelf life.
So one day I'm out and about with Amber, Eric, and Torsten and we get onto the topic of homeless people and how people there are some groups/organizations that get together and offer meals to them on certain days. It was in that moment that I somehow thought back to those innocently rejected cereal bars taking up space in my pantry and I knew exactly what I was going to do with them: keep them in my car and hand them out to homeless people on the street.You will often see homeless people standing next to the stoplights near the diagonal highway. I've passed a few of these people before, but I never really paid any attention to them, always making sure to look straight ahead at the stoplight or seem interested in something off in the distance in the opposite direction. I figure that if I'm ever out and about during the day and happened to be stopped at this particular stoplight long enough to hand out a couple cereal bars, why not do it? After I finally remember to put the bars in my car a week or so ago, I have handed out a total of six bars between two people. I have plenty left to give out, but it makes me feel good that these bars are going to someone who will appreciate them far more than I do.
Overall, I know many people may be thinking, "Wow, you're this excited over handing out .25 cent cereal bars?" But the fact of the matter is yes, yes I am. Why? Because I truly believe it's the little things in life that often bring the greatest amount of joy to people. I like seeing the smiles on peoples faces when I hand them these cereal bars, knowing (or at least hoping) that I made their day just a little bit brighter/hopeful because of it. Showing people through little acts of kindness that there is still some good in this seemingly dark world is one of things that makes me the happiest. If today I got to show this kindness through a cereal bar, then that is perfectly fine with me.
♥ Jane
I just wanted to take the time to let you know that you are an amazing person and that you have so many people who care about you, including me. :)
Ok, I know that this is off to a really sappy start, but I'm just in a sappy mood I guess. Maybe it's the Starbucks peppermint mocha flowing through me or the fact that it's 60° out in November that has me so bubbly and mellow...whatever it is, I'll take it.
This post really has no rhyme or reason to it, I just wanted to talk about something that's on my mind, and today the topic is bars. Now I'm not talking about drinking bars, gymnastics bars, candy bars, or handle bars. I'm talking about cereal bars.
I have perused the aisles of Target many times throughout my life, and for those of you who know me well this should come as no surprise to you. I often pass the cereal bar section and see a flavor that I really want to try, but the only size available is a 12-count box. I don't want twelve bars, I want one! The first flavor I saw was banana with fudge filling. I think I went to look at them at least four times before I actually bought them, which is kind of ridiculous since the box is only around $3.00. I eventually bought them and had one or two. They were good, but as I suspected, not great, and they ended up sitting in my "rejected bars box" untouched for long periods of time. Now...repeat this entire story, but apply it to the month of October and the seasonal pumpkin cereal bars with vanilla filling. Yes, it happened again. Somehow, the word "Seasonal" stamped on a box overrides the fact that it's a 12-count box and my own trustworthy knowledge of knowing I'll never eat them all. ANYWAYS...I now have this box of banana and pumpkin cereal bars, collecting dust and taking up precious room on my pantry shelf. Knowing that I will in fact never eat them, I try and think of ways to get rid of them and give meaning to their (surprisingly lengthy) shelf life.
So one day I'm out and about with Amber, Eric, and Torsten and we get onto the topic of homeless people and how people there are some groups/organizations that get together and offer meals to them on certain days. It was in that moment that I somehow thought back to those innocently rejected cereal bars taking up space in my pantry and I knew exactly what I was going to do with them: keep them in my car and hand them out to homeless people on the street.You will often see homeless people standing next to the stoplights near the diagonal highway. I've passed a few of these people before, but I never really paid any attention to them, always making sure to look straight ahead at the stoplight or seem interested in something off in the distance in the opposite direction. I figure that if I'm ever out and about during the day and happened to be stopped at this particular stoplight long enough to hand out a couple cereal bars, why not do it? After I finally remember to put the bars in my car a week or so ago, I have handed out a total of six bars between two people. I have plenty left to give out, but it makes me feel good that these bars are going to someone who will appreciate them far more than I do.
Overall, I know many people may be thinking, "Wow, you're this excited over handing out .25 cent cereal bars?" But the fact of the matter is yes, yes I am. Why? Because I truly believe it's the little things in life that often bring the greatest amount of joy to people. I like seeing the smiles on peoples faces when I hand them these cereal bars, knowing (or at least hoping) that I made their day just a little bit brighter/hopeful because of it. Showing people through little acts of kindness that there is still some good in this seemingly dark world is one of things that makes me the happiest. If today I got to show this kindness through a cereal bar, then that is perfectly fine with me.
♥ Jane
.JPG)
Comments
Post a Comment