Funyuns

Have you had a bag of Funyuns lately?

On the fourth of July the three older kids had spent the previous night with their aunt and uncle.  My wife and I had the two little ones and we met at a small community pool near the in-laws.  It was a good afternoon.  The pool allowed us to hold the little girls as we went down the curvy slide. Yep, I think we had to go down that slide at least a hundred times.

On the way out of town we stopped to get something to drink and a snack as we headed to the in-laws for the rest of the fourth of July.  My wife and I still had the two little ones, so I ran in to get the stuff.  My wife had asked for a Pepsi and something salty.  I wandered around the trail mix and peanuts, and then saw on the bottom shelf of the chip sections, Funyuns.  One bag left.

As I carried the stuff to her window she broke out in a huge smile.  As we drove to the in-laws we all enjoyed the bag of Funyuns.  The little girls would ask for “nother one Mom” as they chomped on the one in their hand. The airy onion-like rings were perfect.

Both my wife and I love Funyuns, but it is not a snack we buy often.  It is such a different snack that we usually opt for something more traditional when we are shopping. Why?  As I stood in the aisle looking at the bag I debated if I should grab them.  Even though I knew my wife and I enjoy them, it was still a risk.  But the risk was stepping out of the safety of a routine.

Funyuns themselves are just different.  The taste is not quite onion.  The texture is fun, and the shape is supposed to be round, but you never get too many perfect round ones. They are different.  And that is good.

Life just gets into routines.  We feel safe in that routine, and sometimes we sacrifice what we like for safety.  Be it from ordering the same dish at a restaurant, to squelching that impulse to be spontaneous because we do not know the outcome. Ironically, we know we would enjoy a different dish.  We feel that spontaneous desire for a reason.  So, I challenge you today to go ahead and buy that bag of Funyuns.  Because I bet you will be like my girls and you will want “nother one.”