I always look forward to Valentine’s Day for obvious reasons: CANDY. And specifically SweeTARTS Hearts, which I rank among my favorite holiday-specific candies. Yes, that is how you spell SweeTARTS. And please note SweeTARTS Hearts are not the same as sugary conversation hearts. Big difference, folks. I take my candy seriously.

Anyway, as I was nostalgically thinking about SweeTARTS Hearts this week, I recalled a moment from the year 2012ish. As I lay my head down on my pillow after a hard day’s work, I had a late-night revelation that Valentine’s Day candy should be on display in stores. I reset my alarm fifteen minutes earlier than usual to allow time to stop at Publix on my way to catch the train to work.

When I walked into the store, I immediately saw the Valentine’s Day display. I excitedly ran over like an adult in a grocery store. I grabbed a bag and headed to the register, when it hit me: Who needs SweeTARTS this badly at 7:45 in the morning? I decided I needed to save face in front of the cashier I would likely never see again. I hurried down an aisle, trying to think of something a businesswoman might get on her way to work.

That’s when I saw sushi. YES! I could pretend I came to the store to pick up something for lunch, then saw the SweeTARTS and said, “What the heck?” My plan was flawless. As I made my way to the checkout, I realized candy still comprised half of my early-morning purchase.

I needed to add something else to the mix to make for a less shameful grocery ratio. Out of mere convenience, I grabbed a can of cashews. Now the good foods outnumbered the bad, and I could also send my dignity down the conveyor belt.

However, there was one more problem. The SweeTARTS bag was so bright and colorful it still dominated my other items. One more mundane thing would surely balance this out. I settled on oyster crackers. I know I’m probably one of the only people in the world who craves oyster crackers, but that’s fine. Now my shopping trip consisted of four items: (1) SweeTARTS, (2) sushi, (3) cashews, and (4) oyster crackers.

Weird shopping list, I know, but now nothing seemed like the center of attention.

I headed to the register, and the cashier barely acknowledged me. She was mid conversation with another employee and proceeded to ring up my four items without even looking at them. So, there I was, exiting the store with my random bag o’ unnecessary crap. And as I ate SweeTARTS by the fistful, I wondered why I cared what this random non-recurring character in my life might think.

I wished I’d had the confidence to go up to the register and announce, “JUST THE SweeTARTS, PLEASE.”

Although I’ve made a lot of progress in recent years, I still find myself wondering what others will think sometimes. But guess what? That’s their responsibility, not mine. I saw a graphic online recently that read: Wow. It’s almost like it’s my life and I can do whatever I want.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Time for another dose of SweeTARTS Hearts!