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If the year of your birth starts with 19, chances are you have at least a passing familiarity with the tradition of Saturday Morning, which involved rising early even when you didn’t have school and sitting down in front of the television for some Saturday morning cartoons (As an 80’s kid, I distinctly remember that most of these shows accompanied a glut of commercials). One thing I do remember is having for breakfast a big bowl of Kix cereal (“Kid Tested, Mother Approved”) or Life (“He likes it! Hey, Mikey!”). I could spend this column just spouting random slogans that my brain has absorbed over my many years of life, but since National Cereal Day is coming up on March 7, I should instead write about some of my memories of one of my favorite breakfast foods (at least before I learned how to cook eggs). 

I have enjoyed quite a bit of cereal over my lifetime; in fact, cereal is responsible for most of my milk consumption that wasn’t cheese. I have several different kinds of cereal that I enjoy, everything from Frosted Min-Wheats to Cocoa Puffs, which represent whatever mood I was in at the time. Did I feel more like having fun? Then, perhaps it was time for a bowl of Trix or Cocoa Pebbles. Was my demeanor more serious, perhaps, dare I say, more adult? Then maybe a bowl of Raisin Bran with its two scoops of raisins and bran flakes. I could also split the difference and just eat Cheerios or Corn Flakes (with usually two spoonfuls of sugar). 

Now that I am older (and hopefully wiser), my cereal regiment is much more structured. It usually involves some oatmeal or wheat squares, a sprinkle of flaxseeds, a dollop of chia seeds, some cinnamon, and then some delicious strawberries or blueberries to go on top. It is a delicious cereal but it is not necessarily a fun cereal. It is the Subaru Outlander of cereals: reliable, a little rustic, and has the energy to power one over any rough terrain. Eating this cereal is a suggestion of my wife as we are both getting older (of course, I’m getting way older than she is) but the reason we both enjoy this particular breakfast, along with coffee and some television, is that it promotes a good start to the day, a new beginning. 

That, I believe, is the promise of cereal. Whether one enjoys a sugary, less-than-healthy concoction savored while watching cartoons or a heartier, healthy cereal eaten before one climbs the tallest mountain, cereal is all about the promise of a new day, perhaps with a brief stopover into a land of nostalgia.

Unless you’re eating it for dinner. Not that I’m judging. Cereal, for some, might simply mean “I don’t feel like cooking.” 

On Wednesday, March 6, at 2 p.m., the Kentucky Picture Show features a 1942 film starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Rival reporters Sam (Tracy) and Tess (Hepburn) fall in love and get married, only to find their relationship strained when Sam comes to resent Tess’ hectic lifestyle. Rival reporters Sam and Tess fall in love and get married, only to find their relationship strained when Sam comes to resent Tess’ hectic lifestyle.

On Thursday, March 7, from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, the library will be having Adult Storytime. Sit, enjoy some snacks, have some fun, and listen to some classic and contemporary stories being read aloud. Feel free to bring your favorite short story to read and share with others. Napping is not allowed because you won’t be able to get to sleep later. 

On Saturday, March 9, at 2 p.m., the library will be hosting a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Join Reference Librarian (and Dungeon Master) James Gardner for a journey into an icy wasteland full of undead creatures and high adventures. For more information (and to begin making your higher-level character), email James at jgardner@clarkbooks.org. You can also sign up by contacting the library at 859-744-5661.