candy shop

I was doing an Etsy search the other day (unrelated to candy) and somehow this came up:

 Candy Photography by Lola's Room

I was immediately drawn into a whimsical childhood dream when I saw this photo. I was taken back to the days when summers were filled with family trips to the beach, catching fireflies in mason jars, card games on the porch, dancing on the hot pavement as rain poured down on me, camp fires, and bike rides in hot pursuit of penny candy. There was one particular candy shop in Cape Cod that sent me over the edge of excitement and deep into indecision as I poured over the bins of candy cigarettes, airheads, gobstoppers, fireballs, and candy necklaces. My parents always gave us a limit so we could only spend a few dollars, and I took the decision very seriously as I struggled to do math in my head. I had to get the right mix or I'd be kicking myself as I stared green-eyed at my sisters' loot, which always looked better for some reason. Oh, those were the days! 

Candy Sticks by Katie Lloyd Photography

As I sit here coming off a long stretch of tough decisions—where do we want to live and raise a family, how much house can we afford, which house do we choose, 30-year fixed or 5/1 arm, what's more important fixing the garage roof or chimney leak, how the heck do we make our budget work—well, I long for the days when my biggest decision was whether to choose a gobstopper or gum ball. Of course, I love my life and honestly much prefer being 31 years old, but I think I will always daydream about simplicity (and sweets!).


[This all reminds me of a post I did a year ago. In that post I linked to my tumblr page, which has a recording from November 22nd called Buttercup History (you have to scroll down a little bit). It's an oral poetry piece I did on the subject of childhood summers, which I actually quoted here. Give it a listen!]