My Cheetos Are Soggy

Stale around the gills

Okay, so in my defense, I seldom indulge in “junk food”, a few weeks ago while I was at the Dollar Store browsing, I ended up on the chip aisle.  I know right?  The little voice in my head chided me saying, “turn around, leave as soon as possible,” yet I was drawn down the aisle like a lamb to the slaughter.  Brightly colored bags of luscious looking chips called my name.  I stopped in front of the cheese puff bags.  It had been a long time since I had a cheese puff, and yes, I know, I bought it.  I took the bag home and had a handful or so.  Then set the bag aside. 

Yesterday, I had a hankering and saw the bag of cheese puffs and thought huh, it’s been a while.  I reached into the crinkly bag and took a couple of cheese puffs out of the bag.  Ya, they were stale and somewhat soggy.  The crisp crunch I wanted was a soft, sinking of my teeth into an odd consistency of unappetizing. artificial flavors.  Even while I told myself this is awful, I continued to eat the cheese puffs in my hand, telling myself it would be wasteful to throw them away. 

I am wondering how often our Cheetos are soggy. are we stale around the gills? When people encounter us do we look inviting on the outside but then our actions and words are well less than inviting?  Have we lost our savor?  Lost our ability to be inviting?  Instead, we hand out a halfhearted, even grumpy comment, which hangs in the air and the poor person who chose to engage with us is left feeling like they bit into a soggy Cheeto?

I have been guilty of riding on this funk bus and at times have been the driver.  This special bus is sadly not the short, special, yellow bus.  No there are many who choose to ride along as well feeding off of one another’s misery.  Oh, the saying, “misery loves company” is oh so true.

My friends, we do have the power of choice.  We do have the ability to get off at the next bus stop and choose to be someone who can muster up a smile, a kind word, and yes maybe even a little cheery encouragement to those around us.  Each smile, each kind word becomes easier and in time the funk bus, the soggy Cheeto attitude is past.

“Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13014 American Standard Version.

My friends, I encourage you today to look beyond yourself, your circumstances and consider that this is for a time.  Tomorrow is a new day filled with new obstacles and challenges which will come and go.  Life is short and for some of us getting shorter all the time.  Embrace, enjoy, and yes be the crunch in someone else’s life.

Debra Fitchen Cox