Have you ever had one childhood experience that shaped the way you are today?
Well, this is a story about a young girl, an Oreo, and a timeless lesson.
As an after school ritual, my grandfather and I would eat lunch followed by Oreos and a glass of milk every day. One afternoon I ran into the kitchen to help my Grampy get a fresh package of milk’s favorite cookie off of the cabinet shelf. He looked at me and said with excitement, “Pookie! How are you today sweetie? There is something special about these Oreo’s,” as he winked. I looked up at my grandfather in amazement I practically whispered, “Why are these Oreo’s so special Grampy!?” He placed the crisp blue package in my hand when I noticed a glistening gold advertisement, Oreo’s one million dollar contest.
Inside of a few select packages of Oreo cookies, lucky winners would find a single mint green Oreo amongst the classic white and black cookies. With wide eyes and trembling hands, my fingers began to slide the cookies out of the packaging until my eyes caught sight of a discolored Oreo. Sitting amongst the delectable chocolate cookies with pearly white frosting appeared the golden ticket of Oreos, a single mint green frosted cookie waiting to be discovered.
Ear splitting screams filled my grandparents kitchen as I sprinted around the table with the million dollar Oreo clenched in my fist. “We won Grampy! We won, we won, we won!” I shouted over and over but as I dropped the mint cookie onto the table I noticed a strange residue on my palm. Not knowing better I licked my palm and a sweet taste filled my mouth, similar to the taste of frosting. Suddenly I realized that the green wonder cookie was a fraud, a perfectly plain Oreo had been tampered with. Food dye had transformed the white frosting into the minty green cookie needed to win the contest. Tears swelled in my eyes, gazing at my grandpa I squeaked, “Why would you do that?”
Trying to escape to the safety of my grandpa’s arms I got up to run but big, burly arms captured me. Pulling me onto his lap my grandfather chuckled, “Sweetie, I never wanted this to upset you. I joke around to put a smile on your face.” Conflicted emotions consumed me and tears ran down my rosy cheeks as I nestled my face into his sweater. I didn’t know what to say or do, I just sat there and cried.
After what seemed like an eternity passed my grandpa gently rubbed my back to console his crying six-year-old Pookie. “Each day comes with a new challenge, from breaking a brand new crayon to losing your mushy cookie in your milk. You learn to deal with the bad and enjoy the good.”
As a small child, I didn’t realize how true that statement was and it took many years to see the power behind it. As a kid every bad day seemed like it would drag on, never ending, until you went to bed and awoke bright eyed the next day. Even thirteen years later the memory of finding the million dollar Oreo is ever present in my mind, always surfacing when I need a reminder that life goes on. My grandfather has always taught his entire family to never take life to seriously and live a happy life full of love and endless laughter. As I sit with him now and recall the fated day I learned one of the most valuable memories of my life I see a twinkle in his deep, tender brown eyes. On the days that just couldn’t possibly get any worse I grab a package of Oreos and have a tall glass of milk. The classic white and black cookie will forever give me peace of mind and remind me that indeed life goes on.
Despite the fact I never actually had a million dollar Oreo, I did learn a priceless lesson. Always find joy even during the hardest of times, even if it is a package of cookies and a tall glass of milk.
