Joe Ganley

Breakfast

What am I going to have for breakfast tomorrow? I swear, I often go to sleep thinking about this. I have cereal for breakfast every day, and it is one of the greatest joys in my life. I have a special weakness for cereals like Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, because apparently I'm 10 years old. But I don't allow myself to eat those every day, because I'm not 10 years old. Does it really matter? Cereals are mostly made out of the same stuff. A grain. A little too much sugar, if the cereal is any good. Maybe some nuts or raisins or granola blobs. But from those few ingredients, a magical ecosystem of different pleasures. We already covered Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Frosted Mini-Wheats. Cinnamon Oat Crunch Cheerios, which sounds healthy but has more sugar than those first three do. Basic 4, which seems to come and go, and each time it leaves the shelves I'm left wondering if I'll ever see it again. Fiber One, which is actually a lot better than it sounds, and damn it makes me regular. I don't always decide the night before, but I always savor the anticipation. Isn't this what life is really about? Something to enjoy, something to look forward to. Choices are many, but not unlimited. Some are good choices, some not so good. Too much of life is oh shit tomorrow I have to do this again, but this - this is oh yes tomorrow I get to do this again.

(This is a response to a writing prompt from Laurie Penny.)