Hello bubblegum, my old friend

I had the strangest experience yesterday at the grocery store. You see, I recently bought a package of bubblegum, thinking it’d be a great bribe for CJ (it is). Driving to the store, I was feeling rather glum… didn’t feel like grocery shopping, disappointed by how the weekend was going, wishing the sun would SHINE, etc. On a whim I popped in a piece of bubblegum.

I think the last time I chewed bubblegum was somewhere around 7th grade (LA Gears with minimum two pairs of socks pulled up over my stretch pants, complimented by side ponytail). In early high school I switched to the sugar-free mint stuff, probably in hopes of all the kissing I thought I’d be doing, and never went back.

So here I am, 29 year-old mother in my baseball cap and practical shoes, chewing pink bubblegum like it’s going out of style. You know what I discovered? Bubblegum is really, completely, horrifyingly fun to chew!

Pushing my shopping cart, loading up on juice boxes and cereal, chicken breasts and salad dressing, I couldn’t help but CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP. I was aware of the many people all around… of the ridiculous image I must be projecting, yet somehow I couldn’t stop myself. Pwoof– a huge pink bubble. Pop! All over my face. I’m embarrassed, well I feel that I should be embarrassed… but then why am I smiling?? CHOMP CHOMP.

And on it went, for the full hour it took me to get through Safeway and load up my cart with $193.67 worth of stuff. Standing in the checkout line, smiling at the cashier, CHOMP CHOMP CHOMPING. Pushing my cart outside (is that the sun?!) and Pwoof another bubble; the biggest one yet! Pop! It explodes, releasing that unmistakable sweet smell of bubblegum, softly patting my face with the thinly stretched pinkness.

I know it’s silly to say that bubblegum has magical powers. But for this woman, on a rather dull Saturday afternoon, it had the rather incredible ability to lift my mood and make me smile.

And yet, powerful mood-enhancer though it may be, I also know that I must proceed with caution with my new friend, lest I CHOMP CHOMP my way right back to 7th grade.

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