Snowflakes and Cookies

"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible." - Stanislaw Jerzy Lee

*********

If you have small children, you probably know about the stickers that Walmart greeters hand out to kids. They used to be happy faces, then it was the Walmart logo. Now it's a "free cookie" sticker. If you stop by the bakery, you can get your kids some free cookies from the plastic bin on top of the shelf.

Yesterday we were at the grocery store, and my kids scrambled over to the sweet old Walmart greeter that we see every week. "You tell your Mom to take you to the bakery so you can get a cookie," he said, and then winked at me.

As usual I spun around the store at breakneck speed, not wanting to spend more time in there than I needed to. You never know when something's going to go awry with two kids in tow. (This particular trip ended with Drew getting queasy and pale as a sheet after he pulled a hangnail and bled all over his hand. I had to take him to the bathroom because he said he was going to throw up. A story for another time.)

We didn't make it to the bakery section for the cookie.

"Mom, that man said you were supposed to take us to the bakery section," my boy said. "I'm gonna tell him you didn't take us!" Oh dear. "Go right ahead," I told him.

I'm not against cookies. I'd estimate that half the time I do take the kids to the bakery section and give them a cookie. And sometimes I have one myself, too (especially if they're the cookies with M&Ms on the top). 

Walmart is a store full of both good and bad food. What a statement it would make if instead of "cookie" stickers, they offered "fresh fruit" stickers. I realize it doesn't roll off the tongue as nicely, and kids probably wouldn't call out their moms like mine did if they didn't get their apple or pineapple or strawberry. But if this country is to turn around this giant, ice burg-bound ship, it's going to take bold statements like that. It's going to take individuals and large corporations to stand up and say, "Yes, we all love cookies. But they're not good for us. We need to feed our bodies the fuel that they were meant to run on, and that means fresh fruit and vegetables."

***********

Workout of the Day

Insanity: The Asylum - Game Day

Whew! We reached the end of our three week active schedule, and are sliding into the recovery week. It's coming at a good time, as I am very sore and need a bit of recovery.