Camp Store Candy

On a particular weeklong camping trip Mom gave me quarters periodically. She knew that I biked all around the grounds & that I spent time in the camp's store - where there was candy. The first few times she gave me a quarter, or fifty cents. Each time I would go over to the store, pick out my favorite, or a few favorites, put them in one of these, which I'd have with me, then go & bike around some more or head on back to the site. I'd either indulge right away, or sometimes I'd be able to distract myself & be involved in something else for a while first. It was a rarity.

I'd go for anything sweet without even thinking about it. I've never been much for the pure sugar items such as these, these or these, these, these, these, these, or these.  Besides they all just get caught between teeth & in molars causing cavities.

Not that my preferences didn't cause cavities. These were my absolute favorites & this was long before they developed their line, which has about a dozen options, from the *just one* with which I'd been completely content. These (because of their crunch), these, because to me, they had great similarity to these. These, these weren't manufactured yet, though they'd have been on my mental list to grab if they had been manufactured back then. These were probably the only thing I enjoyed grabbing, though not as often as the others, which didn't include some amount of either peanut butter, or chocolate, or both. Also, these, as it was all about the crunch.

There was a particular time when Mom indulged me in an entire roll of quarters all at once. It was mental Heaven for me - especially at that age - though it was a disaster at the camp store. I had great difficulty distracting myself; I believe I only indulged in maybe up to a third of that roll of quarters the first time I used it, though I most remember the sickening feeling, both the mental one & the physical one, after I'd thoughtlessly grabbed at all & any of so much that I didn't need, nor likely, deep down, cared for.

These habits stuck with me - for far too long. They haunt me still, much more than I'd like. It's probably why I do consider the moments from the past like this one - this camping trip - where I was granted a roll of quarters & then some. Why couldn't I've had the brilliant wisdom to just hold onto that roll of quarters & instead invest it? Why? I'll tell you why. Because I was that young & that innocent. And I was unknowing; I was following in the nurtured path of my childhood. And so that was that.

I'd not touch any of these items these days, though I've many a flash back & often a desire. I'd rather indulge myself in the bike ride back up the hill from the camp store to the campground's section designated for pop-up campers like ours. No protein, only processing; that's what I was indulging my quarters in. I didn't know what I didn't know. I know better now. Save the coins. Ten dollars adds up, just like Honest Abe advised to "Save a Penny, Earn a Penny".

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