Dear Reader,
The smiling bear was looking right at me, tempting me.
Sitting on my kitchen counter was a 1lb, 8 ounce smiling plastic bear, filled with animal crackers. I knew the rule. Never eat anything directly out of its container, grab a handful, put them in a dish and "Enjoy!" But instead, I grabbed that cute bear off the counter, snuggled it close to me, and the two of us sat down to watch a movie.
I told myself I was only going to eat six crackers: two bears, two giraffes and two rhinos. 'But after those were gone, and they tasted so good, and they're so small, I decided a few more wouldn't hurt, would it?'
I should have been a lawyer. I was amazed at the list of rationalizations I came up with about why it was okay for me to keep eating--and it wasn't my fault.
"Yes, Judge, the jury has come to a unanimous verdict, a resounding 'Not Guilty.' The manufacturer is at fault. Suzanne is not to blame. She couldn't help herself. Everyone knows if miniature zebras, giraffes and gazelles are easily available, and all it takes is two turns of the plastic bear's bright red lid, anyone would succumb to those circumstances."
Back and forth animal cracker negotiations continued, but after five days I found myself staring at a completely empty bear. I ate 360 animal crackers in five days! How did this happen?
That empty bear is still smiling at me every day, but now he's sitting on my desk as a reminder not to buy any more animal crackers. Because apparently I have no willpower and the bear will win every time.
Test your willpower. I'm giving away a huge animal cracker bear to a lucky reader. If you find you're losing control, you can come up with your own rationalizations--or borrow mine. To enter the giveaway, click here.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
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