Bastard Bee

There is a thin separation between stand-in and go-to.  We acquire things to stand-in for what we should be doing.  But if they're around, then end up as a go-to.

Case in point.  Honey Nut Cheerios.

Oh dangerous succubus, oh shrew.

We keep a box of Honey Nut Cheerios around as a stand-in for a more reasonable and healthful breakfast.  Under normal conditions, I eat oatmeal and a banana and drink some OJ before heading out the door.  The Brown Box sits on the shelf those days, peacefully waiting until need arises.

But then it starts to beckon.  It speaks to me.  "You don't want those things thinly masquerading as a true breakfast.  YOU WANT THE REAL THING."  I quake.

And so one morning there comes a time when real breakfast is "accidentally" forgotten, and I am left filling a punch bowl with sugar flavored oat rings and dropping my face into it without a spoon.