One of the great mysteries of my childhood was when my Dad started buying Twix candy bars by the truckload from the Price Club. He stored them in the downstairs refrigerator in the laundry room that was just off of the bedroom I shared with my sister Mary, and step sister and brother, Sarah and Bo. We slept in two bunk beds; Sarah slept with eight pillows, Bo snored, I tossed and turned, and Mary somehow tolerated all of us. My lack of peaceful slumber must’ve been due to wrestling with the taunting Twix Bars in the nearby fridge. Or rather, the existential question of why on earth my Dad thought it was suddenly okay to stock our house and tummies with a seemingly endless stream of candy bars?
Even though I was an inquisitive kid, always asking questions (probably too many questions), I never asked that one; I simply grabbed and scarfed down as many Twix bars as I could handle to fuel and refuel before, during, and after long Summer days of swimming in our pool.
It was an uncertain time, yet I was comfortable sitting on the edge of uncertainty.
I knew their presence was fleeting, special, Summer couldn’t last forever (even in Southern California) and sooner or later the boxes of Twix bars would be empty, and then disappear.
This book is incredible. Also, it's #61 for the year.:)
I was reminded of that “Twix Bar” memory a couple of days ago while reading the amazing book, The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodrun, because the theme of last week, and still today, (actually, everyday), is uncertainty.
We don’t know what will happen next. We can’t control the plot of our life story. There will be unexpected conflicts, astounding moments of elation followed by punches of bittersweet and tender sadness, but the plot is never the most interesting part of any story, or lifetime, it’s the richness of the characters living each chapter along the way.
Therefore, as the heroes of our own story, tromping through chapters of (life’s) uncertainties, unsure of how any adventure will unfold, I am certain that the determination to keep moving forward, and allowing support from dazzling characters along the way to push us if/when we feel stuck, and steady us when we need to lean over, is what makes up a triumphant, or even better, an interesting life.
By the way, Dad, why not Snickers?
The song and video this week is simply my favorite tune on the airwaves right now. The first line is a stunner.:)