It’s time for me to ‘fess up: I have one major chocolate-loving, soda-swilling sweet tooth.
When I was growing up, pixie sticks, Hershey bars and an ice cold bottle of Coke were the sweet treats we all loved. Of course our moms tried to keep a tight reign on just how much of the stuff we would consume, but when you live right across the street from a little store called the Cozy Corner, with a display case of penny candy that seemed, to our eager young eyes, to stretch from here to there, it was easy for us to sneak an extra snack or two when Mom wasn't looking!
If it was summertime, we turned to popsicles. My favorites were banana and grape (which, to me, were “pupple.”)
I can still remember kind-hearted Mrs. Bishoff greeting me at the door of Hanna's store at the corner of James and Piedmont streets with the beloved words “You want a pupple popsicle?”
And then there were those brightly colored sticky sweet freeze pops which our moms always kept in the freezer.
Man, that was livin’ for us youngsters happily playing away our days down on Main Street!
Today, the Cozy Corner is, I believe, a weight room, and Hanna's store is gone as well.
I have to admit, though, my taste for the sweet stuff is still very much alive and well.
I never acquired a taste for coffee and I don’t drink alcohol, but give me a Coke and I’m a happy camper.
And my main sugary vice? Give me chocolate baby!
My desk in the newsroom is one of the most popular stops here in the News Tribune because I always try to keep my little green bowl stocked with miniature candy bars or Hershey’s kisses. It seems I'm not the only one with a sweet tooth.
Now before you start “tsk-tsking” me, yes, I know there are a lot healthier snack choices out there.
But somehow I just can’t see myself filling up my little green bowl with carrot sticks.
All kidding aside, I do agree that parents should help their young children learn about healthier alternatives when it comes to snacks. And I applaud those folks in the county who are striving to educate people about healthier choices in their lives.
But they should remain just that – choices.
I remember just enough of the free-thinking ‘60s - and was a teenager during the “Me Decade” of the '70s - to believe that certain things should be our own personal choice.
Or maybe I'm just hard-headed enough that I resent having people tell me what I need to be doing with my life.
Man, I hear the “tsk-tsking” getting louder!
On the flipside, I am just old enough now that I'm beginning to think about the other side of that hill. And because I worry about what may be lying in wait over there, I do try to take better care of myself. Salads are becoming a more and more frequent lunch, and I have cut down on my sodas. (A little.)
And the difference in the spring in my step is quite noticeable when I take the time to exercise ... even if it's just to go for a walk with my dogs in the evening.
But it has been my choice to make these changes. My CHOICE.
And so, I applaud the two members of the Healthy Mineral County Coalition who, when talking about the unhealthy snacks currently offered at the county’s courthouse, suggested a middle-of-the-road approach.
Expressing the desire to not be “snack police,” but to “make options available,” they suggested talking the vendor into placing healthier snacks in the vending machine alongside the more traditional chips and candy.
That way, the fine folks who work at the courthouse will have a choice.
And that, my friends, is the American way.
(Liz Beavers is managing editor of the Mineral Daily News Tribune and Frankfort Beacon, and may be reached at lbeavers@newstribune.info. You may also follow her on facebook.)
Keyser, W.Va. —
