Do You Have Oreo Trauma, Too?

I just finished reading a book on entrepreneurship.  I was reading about communication, marketing, business plans, and the like. So I was caught by surprise when I got to the “What Not to Do” section and Oreos were the topic of conversation.  The idea was that Oreos are not innovative and hence a poor example of business acumen.  At first, I thought, “Wow, what did an Oreo ever do to you?”  Then I remembered that I have heard other versions of Oreo bashing before.  Normally I hear these complaints at parties when a guest brings any Oreo flavor other than the original.  I mean, we were all okay with Double Stuff but most people draw the line there.  And when people talk about their dislike of the new creations, they seem agitated.  The anger I hear seems to be that Nabisco is doing too much and with each subsequent new flavor, it is somehow an assault on their beloved childhood Oreo memories.

Do you have Oreo trauma, too?  Maybe trauma is too extreme a word but I don’t know another word to use when I hear the vitriol and disgust surrounding the new stuff.  When I teach Grief Recovery or talk to a griever, their life situations revolve around a death, a breakup, or another personal loss of some sort.  Never has one of those conversations veered towards a Golden Oreo.  But why I think this, too, is important is because, on a small level, the new Oreos can show us how resistant we can be to change when that change affects a cherished memory.  It’s almost like the new thing is interfering with your version of the way life should be.

Is there anything in your life that you despise because it interrupts your version of how life should be?  Is it possible that that thing feels like competition even though it’s not?  It could be as big of an issue as that new friend you feel resistance towards being in your inner circle or something as seemingly small as a candy corn Oreo.  The issue isn’t the item (or person) at all; it’s what it represents for you.  In efforts to have a Mo Betta life, may we make room for new ideas, thoughts, and items that seem weird or unfamiliar.  I wholeheartedly believe it’s the only way to get through this life as a truly open-minded human being who evolves and matures. Dear Friend: may that new Oreo that comes your way ultimately serve to expand the beauty in your life.