As children, many of us enjoyed eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we pulled from our lunch box.
I know I did.
If you ever opened my Batman and Robin lunch box, there was a pretty good chance you’d find a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Wonder Bread, wrapped in aluminum foil – next to my thermos filled with grape juice to wash it all down.
Ah the simplicity of childhood – I miss those days sometimes.
Days before the realities and responsibilities of life often weigh heavy on one’s spirit.
I know it sounds crazy, but this 37 year old still enjoys a lunch of peanut butter and jelly, though my tastes have changed a little – as has my lunch box.
Instead of grape jelly I use raspberry. Wonder Bread has been replaced by high-fiber or multigrain. Name brand peanut butter is now natural and organic. And sometimes it’s not bread at all, but saltine crackers.
And surprisingly each time I sit down to eat it, I’m reminded of my youth and a time when life was definitely less complicated and there was always excitement to find what was in my lunch box.
I guess even food can unlock memories of the past for us – creating a bit of comfort and familiarity, while reminding us of a time when what was inside our lunch box was all we had to worry about.
