Where is my Cereal?

Living in the good ‘ol USA, I’ve eaten cereal all my life.  As a kid, I liked to try all the sugar-infused options from Captain Crunch (including my fav, Peanut Butter Crunch), Lucky Charms (I watched with glee as they added more and more marshmallow icons to mix over the years. Way more than just “stars, moons, hearts and clovers!”), Sugar Pops (hey, the name says it all), and so on.  Over the years as I moved into adulthood I let some of the sugary stuff go and added slightly more healthy choices like Life (Hey, Mikey, he likes it!), Cheerios (honey-nut flavored, please), Frosted Mini-Wheats (it feels healthier being wheat-based but that thick sugar frosting on top still tasted yummy), Rice Chex (and all the healthy variations of corn and wheat), and so on.

So now I’m in my later adult years and what do I eat for breakfast? Okay, that was an easy one – cereal.  I have introduced granola into the mix, though, so I’m still evolving on my cereal journey.  But now I’ve hit a snag.  I’m living overseas at the moment and to my chagrin, the choices for cereal are slim pickings.  Not only does the country of Thailand not have their own cereal brands (okay, maybe a few but I just can’t do the squid and seaweed flavored options), but the other options of cereal from the USA are now considered “imports” and therefore quite expensive.  And tiny.  They offer a limited number of options, all in tiny boxes that I would finish in two or three days.  On top of that, they charge the equivalent of $8 to $10 bucks!  Who knew?

What’s a cereal lover to do? Well, there is a light on this horizon.  A single ray of sunshine piercing the dark clouds of my cereal deprived despair.  There is one cereal available in the large economy size AND at a decent price.  Plus, it’s actually healthy, too.  And that cereal is (cue the heavenly choir): Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.

Granted, I’ve never been a corn flakes kind of guy except for occasionally getting the Frosted Flakes version (They’reeeee Great!).  But I’ve realized everything in life is about compromise, about accepted change, and making the best out of every situation you are in.  And the same goes for finding a breakfast cereal to eat while being in Thailand.  Actually, the version of corn flakes I buy is a generic German brand which is even more affordable than the Kellogg version.  Hey, I’m all about saving a few baht here and there.

So, in the words of the awesome song by the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find you get what you need.”

Not a bad way to look at life, I think.  Or, consider additional ways to think about contentment:

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 
(Philippians 4:11-13)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
(Philippians 4:6)

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?... So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?  What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
(Matthew 6:25-33)