Cheerios and Lipstick

When I look back on my life, I try to make connections between the past and the present. Being the 20 year old female that I am, I have always been interested in the typical "girly" things that one has grown up to enjoy. Putting on make-up, helping my mom bake in the kitchen, and coloring are a few activities that have stayed with me since I was a little girl. Although these are similar in the way of all being childhood games, for me, the story proves to go a little farther. Cheerios. Yes, that's right. Cheerios. The beloved "O" cereal that everyone loves from their youth is what connects my past and my present. I can remember sneaking into my mother's bathroom around 5 years old and being in awe of the variety of pinks, reds, and coral lipsticks that she owned. Getting dolled up and walking in mommy's 8-sizes-too-big heels made me feel like I could do anything.

The reason I loved getting dolled up however, if not for my unmistakable beauty, was because I would prance downstairs feeling like a professional business woman, sit at the table with my version of the newspaper (Barbie's Dream House sticker book is close enough, right?) and dive into a bowl of ice cold milk and Cheerios. Mimicking my mom, everything from her appearance to the what she ate, made me the happiest little girl in the world. Still today, sitting down in the morning with the New York Times (or could it be People Magazine...) and my heaping bowl of Cheerios is what not only allows me to reminisce about my childhood, but more importantly, gives me the strength and the energy to keep making more.

Helping my mom bake in the kitchen was another favorite past-time I enjoyed. Mixing Cheerios with melted marshmallows and butter is, and always will be, my favorite snack to create in the kitchen. The crunching of the Cheerios beneath my wooden spoon is a familiar sound that comforts me still to this day. When I'm having a bad afternoon, the thought that a scoop of Cheerios, butter and Fluffernutter can change my mood around is oh so comforting. Even though I am no longer living at home, the moment a spoonful of the milk-drenched "O's" hit my lips, I am instantly sitting at my kitchen table, eating and laughing and loving every moment all over again.
Coloring is something that helps me get through life's toughest challenges. When I am thrown a curve-ball at work, when school is stressing me out to no end, or when I am just plain ol' down in the dumps, a few markers and paper are a go-to pick me up for whatever lies ahead. But the soothing touch of marker to paper is not what made this activity so enjoyable for me as a kid. It was the fact that I would always take the Cheerios box out of the pantry and attempt to sketch it perfectly, no matter how many times I had done it before. Eraser marks and scribbles got me down? I would reach my hand down in the crinkled bag, pop a handful in my mouth, and I was good to go again.
Although a cereal may not seem like a lot to other people, the stories of love, family, and fun that is in every last bite of Cheerios is what makes this cereal so special to me. From two years old to twenty years  Cheerios have been a staple part of my diet, but my life in general. Cherishing those bittersweet moments, even if it's just sitting around eating cereal with my mom, with lipstick and heels on, are the greatest moments in life.

-Cheerios #1 fan