the cereal aisle

It's always in the cereal aisle that it hits me.

There are too many options.  

Healthy or sugary?  Cocoa Pebbles or Cocoa Puffs?  Cheapest or healthiest?  Granola with nut and fruit or plain?

I am surrounded by 100 different kinds of cold cereal, just one of many options I have for breakfast.

Psychologists have found that people are unhappier when they have too many options.  And that's exactly how I feel on the cereal aisle.  It takes about two minutes before I'm completely overwhelmed which has resulted in a new rule that my husband picks out all our cereal.

As I wait for him to grab a couple boxes, my mind starts racing.  I'm in a store devoted to food - there are literally stacks of food all around me.  Yet somewhere else in the world is a person who can't imagine having that much food available.  And somewhere else in my city is a person who can't imagine the luxury of buying a cart of groceries without worrying about the money to pay for it.

Is it really necessary to have 100 different choices for breakfast cereal?  Why is it that I was chosen to grow up in this land of overabundance instead of another person?  How can I keep a contented soul when my culture is constantly advertising the items I "need"?  As my son grows, will we remember to demonstrate that we can live simply and still live happily?  Or will he, too, get sucked into the cereal aisle and a culture demanding a myriad of choices.