Is Christmas shopping getting you down? Do you have a long list of people to purchase presents for and no ideas what to get them? Are you frustrated because you finally found and ordered the perfect gift only to find that it is on backorder?
Sorry, this column will be of no help to you.
Although I share the frustration of most folks this time of year of not being able to find just the right gift for my honey…or my kids…or grandkids… I’m not going to write about that in Unorganized Territory.
No, I’m going to write about an unusual shopping phenomenon that happened earlier this year. Perhaps my struggle will help readers take their minds off the current shopping craziness. Perhaps not, but the mysterious disappearance of my favorite flavor of gum is a mystery that I just have to share.
It started innocently enough when a friend offered me a stick of gum. It was one of the new breeds of gums, in a square package with an interesting graphic on the front. The brand is “5” and it comes in a variety of intriguing flavors— Rain, Lush, Zing, Cobalt, Elixir, Prism, Solstice—and my favorite, Flare.
The other flavors are okay. They do their job “freshening” your mouth and they have a pleasant, long-lasting taste. But there is something about Flare that is especially addicting. It reminds me a bit of an old favorite candy, the Atomic Fireball.
Fireballs are too hot for my mouth nowadays, but Flare is a fun reminder of that childhood treat.
So, after that first stick of gum from my friend, I was hooked. I ended up buying a pack of Flare every time I filled up my car with gas. Until one day, there was no Flare on the shelf. All of the other “5” gums were there, but there was an empty spot where I assumed the Flare should be.
No problem, I thought. There are other gas stations with racks of gum. I visited the other two gas stations in Grand Marais—no Flare gum. I was disappointed, but not surprised. Living at the almost the end of Highway 61 means shortages sometimes.
I figured I could get my favorite gum on my next trip to Duluth. However, that did not happen. A stop at a convenience store in Duluth netted the same result—no Flare, just an empty space on the gum rack where it should be.
I was starting to suspect a conspiracy, but thought that was silly. Why would anyone want to rid the world of a wonderful gum? I decided to just keep looking.
And look I did—all the way to Indianapolis to attend a wedding. At every gas stop along the way, I checked the gum rack, only to find Flare gum absent.
By this time I started to worry a little bit. Was there a food recall on my favorite gum that I didn’t know about? Did it contain some toxic chemical that made it taste so tasty?
More importantly, I worried— would I ever get to enjoy the cinnamony chewing gum again?
I asked a number of people if they had noticed the disappearance of Flare gum, only to be met by blank expressions or raised eyebrows. No one else noticed or cared.
I bought other flavors— Rain (spearmint) and Prism (watermelon) but they were just okay.
Just when I thought I would have to contact the company— that’s what Google is for, after all—Flare reappeared. I saw it first at a gas station on a trip to Duluth. I bought 5 packages of “5” Flare. Then it appeared back on the shelves of the Grand Marais stores. I bought a few more packs. I now have probably a six-month supply on hand.
Yes, I’m addicted. Yes, it’s silly. But it got your mind off Christmas shopping, didn’t it? I just hope when you go to buy your pack of “5” gum (and you will!) you can find it!
Whenever you are sincerely pleased you are nourished.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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