A Box of Chocolates
As we face the final hours of 2023 (and your last chance to give an end of year gift), let's consider how a box of chocolates, life choices and children converge through a retelling of this story from speaker/author/teacher Monica Genta.
A few years ago Monica received a Russell Stover chocolate box. You know the type. Lots of little squares and circles of random who-knows-what chocolately goodness. There's usually a guide to help you figure things out, but who wants to go through that hassle? She allowed her students to pick one and think through how their experiences relate to life.
She was fascinated to find that "every single boy tried a bite of their chocolate, was completely satisfied, and then threw the whole chocolate in their mouth and finished it. No questions asked." As for the girls "nearly half...tried one bite of their chocolate, was completely dissatisfied and then threw the whole chocolate in the trash. One cried. She got coconut."
She recounts some initial responses ranging from surprise, to disgust, to excitement. "Yes! I LOVE caramel!... OMG! It’s orange crème. Nasty!... WHOA! Not what I expected!"
Students thought about their chocolate experience and related it to their life situations with these observations. Which one can you relate to?
“I feel amazing! Why? Because I got free food! Free food makes life awesome!”
“I’m open-minded to life and I was open-minded to getting any chocolate.”
“No regrets on my chocolate choice. I try to live with no regrets too.”
“I hated my chocolate. Some days in life I hate too. But it doesn’t mean I’ll hate chocolate tomorrow. Tomorrow could be better.”
“I’m sad. I couldn’t even eat a chocolate because I have braces. That’s just not fair. And sometimes life isn’t fair either.”
“I was disgusted by the chocolate and sometimes I’m disgusted in life. Especially when nice people are mean.”
“Sometimes life isn’t what you planned, but it can still turn out really good!”
“I have regret. I picked a chocolate that looked good, but I had a feeling it was going to be fruit filled. I hated it! I should have gone with my gut to make a different choice!”
Each of these responses represent a different kid with different life experiences and outlooks on life. As a mentor myself having recently gone to Crumbl in search of sugary goodness with my mentee, I was touched by how he carefully saved most of the cookie to take home and share with his two siblings and his dad.
At Faithful Friends, we love providing mentors to children from all walks of life. Some are dealing with way too much. Parental suicides, incarcerations, substance addiction, foster care systems, or other dysfunction on so many levels. Some live in happy homes surrounded by loving care. No matter what, a kid needs the love and support of trusted adult friends who can help shape their world as they grow and deal with the curveballs of life.
Would you consider giving to Faithful Friends today? A year-end gift of any amount would go a long way to helping us support children throughout the Portland metro area.
(Now go get yourself some chocolates from the pantry. Gotta finish all the empty calories before the new year, new you!)
