Kid Me Would Be Disappointed: The Day I Walked Away from a Giant Gummy Bear

II almost bought a gigantic gummy bear today. I picked it up, admired it, imagined the pure childhood joy of tearing into it… and then I did something horrifyingly adult:

I put it back on the shelf and kept walking.

While I’m proud of myself for not succumbing to this ridiculous impulse buy, part of me scoffs and says, “Why the heck not? Be a little silly and ridiculous why dontcha?!”

But the adult in me once again takes over and asks, “What are you gonna do… bite the head off of that giant gummy bear?.. then what?"

Gummy candies are hands down my favorite type of candy. But this behemoth? I think it could be too much of a good thing. I’ve overdone it in the past with donuts and burgers the size of my head, and experience has taught me that more is not always better.

When I was a kid?
I fully believed adulthood meant unlimited bowls of cookies for breakfast, a fridge stocked with JOLT Cola & Mountain Dew, and a cabinet overflowing with cans of spray cheese crackers, Doritos, Fritos corn chips, Frito-Lay bean dip.. the list goes on. I assumed you could just… go wild. No rules. No one to stop you. 

But what happened to me?

Responsibility.
Responsibility happened.

It’s the thing that keeps me from going off the deep end. The thing that makes me listen to my body when it starts protesting. It’s why I do boring preventative things like skipping pepper pods and Tabasco on my pizza after 6 p.m., or refusing to drink a coffee after 5 p.m. So I'm not staring at the ceiling all night.

It’s not the funnest version of life, but it’s the version where I wake up feeling better, move better, and don’t regret my own decisions the next morning.

So yeah… the enormous gummy bear didn’t come home with me today.
But honestly?

I think that means I’m finally doing adulthood right, even if a tiny.. mischievous part of me still wants to sneak a bite (and still might someday) because adulthood hasn't totally driven the fun and spontaneity out of me.