The snack that smiles back?

“OPTIMISM . . .  is a skill children can learn and leads to greater happiness and resilience.”  -- Dr. Karen Reivich

I found this bit of wisdom on the outside of a 3 ½ lbs box of Goldfish and immediately felt a flush of excitement. I felt optimistic that I could consume this 3.5 lbs with 0 grams of trans fat.  I probably shouldn’t cross my unit references.  Fortunately, I can do the conversion in my head. 0 grams trans fat is 0 lb trans fat.

After several handfuls of munching on those cute little golden crackers baked with real cheese and according to the ingredient list made with smiles, I got to thinking. Optimism is a skill????? Well I have a bone to pick with my counselor. “Identifying feeelings is hard work. You just have to get in there and wrestle with them. They won’t crush you they are just feeeeelings. They aren’t good or bad. They are just feeeeeeeelings.” I thought optimism was a feeling. I never used it with  the counselor, but was, and am sure that optimism is a feeling. It would have produced a nod from the counselor on a Thursday night. Now, I question. Optimism A Skill? Feelings aren’t something felt they are learned and mastered? I want my money back.

I looked up Goldfish on the web because I thought that this free bit of wisdom from a highly paid psychological professional might be part of an advertising campaign. That’s right. After reading the local newspaper, I thought there might be a catch. In this case, I  found that just because there is a catch doesn’t mean that it is bad.

Dr. Reivich sells skill development for children. Specifically, she sells skills that will help children become more resilient.  Optimism is one of the feelings that can support resilience.

Food and feelings, Feelings and Food. It seems that there is a market segment to be explored.  I have no ability or knowledge, or expertise to be even remotely qualified  to comment about all of the connections being made by Pepperidge Farm and by extension Campbell Soup, the owner of Pepperidge Farm,  (Mmmm, Mmmm, Good). I have no sermon here only confession. I am part of that segment. Eating 3.5 lbs of goldfish and glad that someone knows how I strengthen my resilience in those handfuls speaks to my prehistoric brain.

I do want to find resilience without covering the fragility with those cute, yellow, cheddary, smile-filled crackers. So many of us do. And all of us want those we love to escape that struggle. If your path leads through fishfulthinking.com to learn optimism, I am happy for you. If you path leads you to feelings are feelings, and they all can provide a framework for resilience, I am happy for you too. Or if your path leads you through Costco where they carry that handy 3.5 lbs (0 lbs trans fat) size of Goldfish, I’m really happy especially if you share.

Food and Feelings, Feelings and Food,

Take Care

"Gaining" Insight