Summer Chocolate Fun

In a brief digression from the ChocoTour (I promise we'll get back to Wilbur's tomorrow!), I want to talk about fun. I find that discussions about candy bring out the little kid in everyone. I got in a peanut butter and chocolate discussion at a luncheon today. We were having a blast!

We all take ourselves and life just too damn seriously. We're running around with electronics attached to our heads because we believe we are so important we must be constantly available. I have news.....we're really not that important. Maybe if you are a brain surgeon and lives are at stake - okay. But the rest of us? Please.

Every book on happiness, every spiritual text - they all agree. True happiness is about being present - about being really THERE. I know myself - if I'm checking e-mail while I'm on the phone with someone - I'm not really there for them. If you're sitting in church texting, you're not really experiencing the service. We all think we are great at multitasking - but we're not. You've all seen people on their cellphones pull out in front of other drivers, run red lights and be oblivious to it all. And just because we CAN communicate doesn't mean we should. Here's one side of a call I heard today:

Hey, whassup?

Cool.

Nuthin' - I'm at Subway.

Nah - just wanted to see what you were up to.

Cool - talk to you later.

Well, that was certainly thought provoking, insightful and well worth holding the line up for.

Here's my thought for the summer - less meaningless communication to fill up every second and more real fun. Don't sit by the pool texting - actually get in the pool. Maybe go crazy and talk with the people around you. Feel the sun - learn a new trick off the diving board. LIVE! You can text from the Old Folks Home.

And you know how fun I think candy is! Here are three fun things to check out:

The new Jell-o Singles - I got one of these in my Sunday paper a couple of weeks ago. It's like a small tube of chocolate powder. You mix it with a 1/2 cup of cold milk - it's very watery and you think there's no way this is going to be anything decent. You let it sit for 5 minutes and like MAGIC - it turns into pretty darn good pudding! I was totally surprised and thrilled! Whee - the wonders of modern food technology! And it was sugar free to boot! (David Copperfield, you need to get in on this!)

The Batman Reese's cup shaped like a bat. I haven't tried this yet, but I can't wait to! I love Reese's and I love the shapes - egg, tree, heart - I swear there is more peanut butter in these and I worship them. A new shape calls for a trip to the convenience store! Hey - you're paying all that money for gas - might as well make it fun and have a Reese's Bat! Yay!

My heroes at Mars (they have taken the M & M to marketing heights that take my breath away) have come up with something new, fun, fascinating and amazing. You send them a picture of a face and they will put it on an M & M! http://www.mymms.com/customprint_faces/

How they can print so small I have no idea, but how fun is that??? Can you imagine? You could make M & M's of your kids, pets, enemies, presidential candidates - the possibilities are endless!! I think I might feel famous if my face were on M & M's. But for God's sake, don't send in the Naked Cowboy's picture - he'll sue.