I rarely eat candy. Now put a plate of cheese in front of me, or fruit, quite the treat. Candy, no.
I grew up with a father in the United States Army. We traveled quite a bit. We even moved three times in a matter of two years within the same large army base.
I really cannot remember where my father was stationed at at the time, he was definitely not home. That summer my mother would give 50 cents a month to my brother and I. She would walk with us to the Ben Franklin store, off base, and we would spend what seemed like a joyous hour finding all the treats that we could spend our wealth on. We would walk out with a little brown paper sack bulging with candy.
But wait…there were other things in that sack. Do you remember the little girl’s fake watches? They had a metal face and a piece of elastic for the band? I loved the pink ones! My brother would buy little painted metal cars and still buy candy with his 50 cents.
And I believe the bubble gum was two pieces for a penny.
Fake lipstick candy. Candy necklaces, which I see children still enjoy.
But see, it isn’t about the candy. It is about the memory. It is about taking that tiny amount of money and so carefully spending it. Maximizing it. Making sure it was not spent on something that went away in a few hours. And the memory of my mother, surely it was good for her to take that walk, and I would imagine it made her feel good to see her children happy. None of those things I was aware of because I was a child. As a child should be!
So…do you remember penny candy?
Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps 