Thinking About
A Moment for Breath Mints
I like it when market trends signal joy
My home state of California officially re-opened yesterday and it has me thinking about breath mints.
Apparently sales of the wee pellets are rebounding (after a steep decline) in the wake of vaccinations, masks off, and normalcy reinvented. Thanks to Radiolab for alerting me.
Did Americans not feel the need for fresh breath while stuck behind masks and locked doors? Or did folks simply opt out of impulse purchases because less time at grocery stores made for fewer impulses to act upon? I suspect a little of both.
Now, it seems, Altoids season is back.
Does this mean we’re ready to smile, laugh, and smell good as we re-encounter each other? I’d like to believe that. Plus, maybe part of social distancing aftermath is a deeper familiarity with the horrors of halitosis. After all, we did just spend month over month living more intimately with our fabric-trapped exhales.
Either way, I‘m a fan of this market upswing. It feels gracious and hopeful and sociable — indicative of a fresh season of connection.
Once upon a time, toilet paper was flying off the shelves and sanitizer homebrew was all the rage. Though I’m clear we won’t ever stop needing to wipe or wash hands, it’s delightful to leave the panic-induced version of both in the rear view. Today, I’m celebrating the grand privilege and green light to do far more expansive things alongside real humans with clean hands, wiped bits, and vaccinated bodies. Let’s go, breath mints.
