The Logical Sense of Salt Water Taffy
Hey Everyone:
Happy summer to each of you! Is it hot enough for you? July has been brutal with heat, humidity, rain, fire, and everything in between. I am, in fact, looking forward to the sweet days of Autumn.
Heat or not, it doesn’t stop me from getting out to explore my new home town in East Tennessee. Like I’ve said before, I’m learning how to be a good citizen of Tennessee. And I’m learning a lot. Heritage, culture, dialect, food and everything else. I’ve had some fun with it, and honestly, the food has intrigued me the most. It’s California cuisine turned upside down, and inside out. Some of it makes no sense to me at all. But sometimes I do find a favorite or two I love and remember from the West Coast. Like..salt water taffy. I must confess it’s my favorite, and the stickier the better. So it never occurred to me that one of my all-time favorite candies could test my integrity as an educated, decent human being.
It was a trip to the dentist that started, or maybe caused, my logical brain to shut down and give way to my other brain, the one that has no common sense.
One day, I was trapped in the dentist’s chair for one torturous hour, just so he could seat a temporary crown. I’m sure he gave me instructions, but really, I spent the hour plotting my escape, so I completely missed the part where he said, “This is temporary. No straws. Now gum. No sticky candy.” I’m sure the list was longer, but my logical brain checked out. I was ready to leap from the chair and head out the door.
That’s when my other brain, the one with no common sense, said, “You deserve to go shopping. After all, you just survived the pain and suffering of your good-natured but ruthless dentist.” I lifted a hand to my jaw. It was tingling but mostly numb. I knew it would be hours, maybe even a day before I could actually speak a coherent sentence without drooling down my chin and chest. To add fuel to the fire, my face honestly felt like it would slide off my head and dribble its way down to my knees and onto the floor. So yeah, spending money seemed like a wise thing to do. At least, that’s what the brain with no common sense reasoned.
Anyway, I found myself standing tall and strong in a candy store, and in front of me was a wall of…you guessed it…salt water taffy. Not a space. Not a shelf. A wall. An entire 10-foot wall of soft, chewy confections wrapped in wax, making them easy to stuff into a pocket, or pop into one’s mouth. There was every flavor known to man. Chocolate! Peanut Butter! Peppermint! Cinnamon! And my all-time favorite, Licorice! Yes, I love licorice, and I’m not even embarrassed by it.
Back to the wall. I thought I’d just stepped over a magical threshold and into the sweet billowy clouds of heaven. And speaking of heaven, all I could say was, “Oh, my heavens,” as I tried to suck back the drool running down my chin. Lickety split I grabbed a little white bag and was happily filling it with all my favorites when I heard a nattering little voice, quiet at first, but annoying all the same. I tried my best to ignore it as I stuffed big handfuls of taffy into my bag. But that nattering little voice got louder, and kept getting louder until it was a full-blown screechy nag.
“Mary Vosika,” it shouted from the back of my head.
Of course, I paid no attention.
“Mary Vosika!”
Still, I paid no attention.
Until finally, “Mary Vosika, you are horrible. Do you hear me? Horrible!”
Well, that was a little brash, but it got my attention.
“You promised. You PROMISED you wouldn’t eat anything sticky for at least a week. A week! How do you expect to keep that crown in your head if you’re gobbling up all the salt water taffy in the county?”
“Um…I’ll chew on the other side,” I said to the nagging voice in my head.
“You’ve got a hole on that side too!”
It was true. I was waiting for my other permanent tooth to arrive, so yes, I had a hole on the other side of my face. “Fine,” I spat as I mopped up the river of drool flowing down my chin.
I stood absolutely still for a few moments while my logical brain turned back on. I was beat. I was defeated. I was sad. But I knew what I had to do. So, with a heavy sigh, I gingerly put each piece of taffy back onto the wall, and crumpled up my bag. I did my best not to weep over the billowy clouds of heaven as I stepped back into my normal world. There would be no soft, sweet, sticky candy for me. Not that day, anyway.
Another sigh escaped me. Maybe another day. Hopefully soon.
Well, I did, in fact, make my way back to that store when my dentist gave me the all clear. But he said something that stuck with my logical brain. He said, “See? All you had to do was be patient and wait. Now you can have all you want.”
Why does this stick with me? Well, it’s like marketing. Sometimes we rush around grabbing at the prospects and clients we want the most. But some days the timing isn’t right. We have to be patient and wait. They’ll come to us when the time is right. And when that happens we’ll be ready with a great big wall of opportunity…and maybe a piece of taffy or two…
So, keep on marketing. Keep on searching for the perfect people to help. But always remember, you might have to wait. Be patient and persistent and the perfect person will come along.
Here's to the logical sense of salt water taffy!
Mary Vosika | Director/Owner | True Voice Copy
P.S. If your marketing isn't bringing you the results you want, then it might be time to try something new. I can help. Contact me at mary@truevoicecopy.com.