Chewing Gum and Swallowing Tears

Okay, today is proof that I have actually lost my mind in the midst of this transition. Ha ha. I used to chew gum often when I lived in the states. My favorite was dentyne ice. We brought one pack with us when we moved here and it literally dissolved in the package (maybe from heat and/or humidity?). I hardly ever see gum for sale here. Possibly the whole turning-to-minty-mush-while-in-the-package thing is to blame. So, as of late, I haven't been chewing much gum.

But, the other day, my sweet husband saw some mint flavored gum in little individual wrappers in a dusty jar at our local store and grabbed a handful for us. So, this morning, I excitedly popped a piece into my mouth, and, to my surprise within half a second (or maybe less) I was in tears (and, no, I am not pregnant). Although I am certain that these were NOT tears of joy, I'm not sure I could tell you what kind of tears they really were. It was a bizarre experience. Seriously. It was as if the gum transported me to another world and time, and my emotions just couldn't handle it. So, there I was, crying because gum, apparently, tastes like America and somehow represents the loss of a former life that I have yet to really fully grieve.