Short-Term Sweetness Can Cause Long-Term Happiness
This story is from when I am very young, probably three or four years old. My family is on vacation to Mackinac Island, an island in Lake Huron. One of the things the island is most famous for is its fudge, and at least for my family, it is an unwritten law that whenever we visit, we have to get at least two kinds of fudge.
We’re in the middle of a confectionary that sells mostly fudge. It’s crowded, given that it’s the height of the tourist season, and the line is so long that my parents let me stand by the glass barrier that separates the shop into the main area and the kitchen so I can watch a handful of workers cutting up huge slabs of fresh fudge while we wait for my parents to get to the front of the line.
I’m completely engrossed by the process, even though I’m not really tall enough to see more than what’s on the table right in front of me.
One of the workers notices how closely I’m watching what’s happening and silently gives me a small piece of soft chocolate fudge from the trimmings. To my three- or four-year-old self, this is the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me.
I don’t stop smiling for hours even after I eat the fudge.
If you’re out there, kind fudge shop worker, thank you. I’ve been to Mackinac Island a few more times since, and every time I think of you and that little piece of fudge.
This story was included in our May 2020 Inspirational Roundup.
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