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Standing
in the check-out line at our local grocery store this weekend, my
daughter asked if she could buy a roll of LifeSavers candy with part
of her weekly allowance. I told her she could and she made her
purchase.
Later
that day I noticed her partial roll of LifeSavers on the kitchen
counter. I picked up the candy and gazed at the brightly colored
packaging. There's just something nostalgic about a roll of
Lifesavers. It had been years since I'd bought a roll and
quickly popped one of the round candies into my mouth.
I'd
forgotten just how good these things are, and as I savored the candy
I had to chuckle at myself for just how much I was enjoying it.
I
plopped down in my favorite over-stuffed chair and closed my eyes,
continuing to suck on the small round candy. My mind drifted back to
my childhood and I recalled what a special treat a roll of
LifeSavers was back then. Money was tight when I was growing up and
we didn't often get such treats. My mind went from one memory to the
next...
I
thought of the time my little brother super-glued his toes together.
I recalled the many scrapes my older brother and I got into and how
long it had been since we really talked. I saw the faces of friends
I hadn't seen in years, remembered my first real crush on a girl,
and thought back to the many late night talks my mom and I used to
have. I crunched the last of the LifeSaver and swallowed.
As I laid
my head back into the soft chair I realized I was smiling. It's
funny, I thought, how something as simple as a piece of candy
could be so strangely satisfying.
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For
the rest of that day my mind was occupied with thoughts of simple
pleasures. Those things which we often overlook or deny ourselves;
reading a good book, taking a walk by ourselves, playing in a pile
of freshly fallen leaves, holding hands, watching the summer sky for
falling stars, writing a letter to a friend, stopping to enjoy a
sunset, taking in the smells after a rainstorm, cuddling by the
fire, watching birds play in the morning sun...
How
easy it is to let slip by some of the most basic pleasures life has
to offer. But how simple it is to again find them. Perhaps all it
takes is a roll of LifeSavers and a few minutes of quiet
contemplation.
T.W. Winslow
used to be a common name seen around the internet a few years ago,
but he has since fallen out of sight, as have so many who dedicated
themselves to inspiring and motivating others (Gary Barnes, Robert
Taylor, Jim Stovall--there's quite a long list). We hope
they're doing well, wherever they may be, whatever they may be
doing.
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