Cheetos and Chillin'

Several years ago, when I was vacationing with my family, we decided to spend one afternoon at a local swimming pool.  As we were preparing to jump in, I observed two little boys sitting at a picnic table, sharing a huge bag of Cheetos.  From several yards away, I could see their hands covered with that yellow Cheeto stuff. 

Suddenly, one boy put the bag of Cheetos down and said, “Let’s go swimming!”  Both boys jumped up and moved toward the pool at a fast shuffle.  This struck me funny because they were both about to jump in the water covered with yellow Cheeto goo but they were not about to break the “no running” rule!.

They got right to the edge of the pool and were about to jump in when one of the boys stopped the other.  He said quite seriously, “Wait!  We just ate!  We have to wait like – 15 seconds don’t we?” 

This struck me even funnier because when I was a kid, I believe the rule was “no swimming within one hour of eating.”  This urban legend had survived for decades but like everything else, it had fallen prey to the cultural shift to faster and faster.  What has happened to our society?  Why are we in such a hurry?

I often think of those two boys when I feel stressed, particularly when I feel the need to do something faster.  This story reminds me to slow down.