The Chocolate Man
Stories
Lightly Goes the Good News
Scripture Stories For Reflection
"I can't go on this way! I've got to stop!" Lou declared. What did he have to stop? Eating chocolates of course! "This is too much! I've got to do something else for a living." What did he do for a living? Managed Bonnie's Best Bon Bons Chocolate Shop. "Why am I doing this to myself?" What was he doing to himself? At five feet five inches he weighed in at three hundred pounds! Yes, Lou had reason to be concerned about what had happened since he became the manager of the chocolate shop where they were made and sold. A year earlier when Bonnie hired him, Lou weighed only one hundred and fifty pounds.
At first the chocolates didn't tempt him. The trouble started slowly. One day he spied an oddly formed strawberry butter cream in a display case. "This should have been rejected," he thought as he snatched it out from among the others. Not wanting to waste it, he popped it into his mouth. "Ohhh! It's marvelous, simply marvelous, so smooth!" he moaned. And that did it! He was hooked!
In the days that followed he sampled all the chocolates -- the creams, the pralines, the raisin and nut clusters. All of them! Hurrying to work each day, he could hardly wait to get his fix, secretly plucking freshly coated chocolates from trays and boxes. Filling his mouth, he thought, "What else is there to live for?" Very much a loner, Lou had no close friends. The routine of going back to an empty apartment each night left him feeling empty. He could hardly wait to return to work each day and be among his friends, the chocolates.
He realized he needed to be more circumspect in satisfying his craving when he noticed employees eyeing him suspiciously after they had filled the display case only to discover seconds later that all the coconut creams were missing.
What Lou couldn't conceal was his burgeoning weight. Buying bigger and bigger shirts, trousers, belts, and underwear, he thought, "This is terrible. I'm a living bon bon! I've got to stop!" But he didn't. Instead he consumed more and more chocolates on the job. And weekends were worse! Hoarding chocolates he had pilfered from the shop during the week, Lou prepared for his weekend binges. Chocolates, chocolates everywhere! Under beds, in closets, bathtubs, coffee tins, and bread boxes. The whole weekend he'd sit in his rocker and gobble them up. By Sunday night the apartment was strewn with wrappers and empty boxes.
Then the inevitable happened! Returning to the shop after another lost weekend, he was summoned to Bonnie's office. "You're fired!" she told him. Sitting at her caramel colored desk, she ticked off the times when workers saw him sneaking coconut creams. "We're not running this shop for you," she said. "As it is, we're barely breaking even. We don't even have enough money to advertise. Lou, you're killing yourself and the business! I'll let you stay two more weeks while you look for another job. In the meantime, keep your hands off the chocolates!"
Leaving her office, Lou was mortified. "What have I done? Eaten up their profits! And now I weigh a ton. People can't tell whether I'm rolling or walking when I come down the street. And what am I going to do? Why I can't even bend over to tie my shoe laces. How could I do any heavy work?" As Lou agonized over his prospects, he noticed a customer as heavy as himself wave to the cashier. "Hmmmm," Lou wondered, "does he have a chocolate problem too?"
"I can't pay in cash! I don't have the funds right now," the customer was saying. "Can't you charge me once more for the chocolates? Please?"
"He has a problem all right," Lou thought. "He's probably deep in debt from eating so much. I feel sorry for him. I wish there were something I could...." Lou paused, his eyes lit up, "I know! I've got it! I've got it!" Lou waddled over to the customer and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, buddy, how would you like it if we cut your bill in half?"
"Huh? What?" The man was taken off guard. "Sure, I'd love it! But what's the catch?"
"Well, the owner needs to advertise this place ... and I notice you are a little on the stocky side like me."
"So...?" the customer puzzled. "So ... suppose the two of us get sandwich boards and advertise Bonnie's Best Bon Bons in the city square. You can work off half, maybe even more of what you owe just by strolling through the square. People could hardly miss seeing us and they'll sure get the point that the chocolates must be pretty good!"
"Well...."
"And besides, we can get acquainted and get a little exercise at the same time. It's worth a try, isn't it? So what do you say?"
"Okay, okay. I'll try it. But if I feel foolish, forget it!"
"Of course, of course. And if I find a few others like us, I'll see if I can get them to join us."
During the next couple of days Lou managed to strike the same deal with a few more overweight customers who couldn't pay their bills. The next Monday at noon, six of them marched into the city square. At first they felt silly since they practically filled the square with their bodies. And their huge waist lines made the sandwich boards practically stick out in front and back. Occasionally Lou had to encourage the others because some of the bystanders made nasty remarks about their weight.
"Hey, fatso -- are you bon bons full of nuts or raisins or what?"
However most of the people chuckled and quite a few curious onlookers visited the chocolate shop.
More importantly, the men began sharing their concerns with one another as they walked. They talked about how they had hoped to forget their problems by eating chocolates and how depressed they were because they felt so worthless. By the third day, they had bonded and now referred to themselves as "the bon bon boys!" By week's end their discussions had been so helpful that they decided to lengthen their advertising sessions by an hour!
On Friday Bonnie called Lou into her office. "Lou, I'm amazed at what you've accomplished. At first I thought your advertising stunt was crazy and I was going to fire you immediately. Not only for parading around in the square but for reducing the bills of our biggest customers without even asking! But within the hour the number of customers had increased twenty-five percent and now we are selling more chocolates than ever. You're shrewd, Lou, very shrewd. I would like you to stay here. We need you!"
Lou smiled from ear to ear. Yes, he was shrewd but he wasn't certain he could continue working next to all the coconut creams in the shop. Yet, now he had friends who supported him and he felt he had the courage to deal with his problem. "Let me think about your offer," he said. "Maybe I'll come back but only if I can wear very heavy mittens!" he laughed. "In any case, I've got to talk it over with the bon bon boys!"
Reflection
The only way to make a figure eight is by going down, under, over, and up. There's no way but down and once down it's back up again. Once completed the figure eight makes sense. Down, under, over, and up also describes the process of conversion. We move from being on top to hitting rock bottom before we can move back up again to complete the process of transformation. Stated another way, initially we experience relative stability in our lives, then instability, confusion, and a period of being down, at our wits' end, in the pits, etc. Only then do we begin to come back up into the light of day and restabilize with a new perspective on life. Paradoxically, we come out from under the basket by first going down under, being there for a while, and then coming up from under.
However miserable Lou is, as long as he manages to get along minimally at home and at work he isn't likely to change for the better. He changes only when he is grossly overweight and is fired from his job. Only then is he able to comprehend what he has done to himself, the predicament he is in, and the necessity of changing the direction of his life. Fortunately, he is able to find support "down under" from others who share his problem.
Bonding is a special kind of support. In conversion experiences those who support us best are generally themselves in need of similar support. Alcoholics Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous are examples of groups who recognize the power of bonding when people are in desperate straights. Bonding is done at the "bottom" because only when we are stripped of our illusions and brought low can we share what is left to share: the empathy of our common humanity. When bonding takes place we are already on our way up from under. Why? In the bonding we discover a sense of worth, self-esteem, and the possibility of a new vision for life. However brightly our light may have shone before the conversion, the best is yet to be!
Lou faces problems in his future. He's still got a long way to go. But now he has the strength and the support of others. Against this background, his light is able to shine. And because he helped others' lights to shine, his shone all the brighter.
When have we looked to others for help? When have we been helped so that we experienced light in our lives? Could this have happened if we hadn't reached out to others? Is this the step we need to let our light shine?
At first the chocolates didn't tempt him. The trouble started slowly. One day he spied an oddly formed strawberry butter cream in a display case. "This should have been rejected," he thought as he snatched it out from among the others. Not wanting to waste it, he popped it into his mouth. "Ohhh! It's marvelous, simply marvelous, so smooth!" he moaned. And that did it! He was hooked!
In the days that followed he sampled all the chocolates -- the creams, the pralines, the raisin and nut clusters. All of them! Hurrying to work each day, he could hardly wait to get his fix, secretly plucking freshly coated chocolates from trays and boxes. Filling his mouth, he thought, "What else is there to live for?" Very much a loner, Lou had no close friends. The routine of going back to an empty apartment each night left him feeling empty. He could hardly wait to return to work each day and be among his friends, the chocolates.
He realized he needed to be more circumspect in satisfying his craving when he noticed employees eyeing him suspiciously after they had filled the display case only to discover seconds later that all the coconut creams were missing.
What Lou couldn't conceal was his burgeoning weight. Buying bigger and bigger shirts, trousers, belts, and underwear, he thought, "This is terrible. I'm a living bon bon! I've got to stop!" But he didn't. Instead he consumed more and more chocolates on the job. And weekends were worse! Hoarding chocolates he had pilfered from the shop during the week, Lou prepared for his weekend binges. Chocolates, chocolates everywhere! Under beds, in closets, bathtubs, coffee tins, and bread boxes. The whole weekend he'd sit in his rocker and gobble them up. By Sunday night the apartment was strewn with wrappers and empty boxes.
Then the inevitable happened! Returning to the shop after another lost weekend, he was summoned to Bonnie's office. "You're fired!" she told him. Sitting at her caramel colored desk, she ticked off the times when workers saw him sneaking coconut creams. "We're not running this shop for you," she said. "As it is, we're barely breaking even. We don't even have enough money to advertise. Lou, you're killing yourself and the business! I'll let you stay two more weeks while you look for another job. In the meantime, keep your hands off the chocolates!"
Leaving her office, Lou was mortified. "What have I done? Eaten up their profits! And now I weigh a ton. People can't tell whether I'm rolling or walking when I come down the street. And what am I going to do? Why I can't even bend over to tie my shoe laces. How could I do any heavy work?" As Lou agonized over his prospects, he noticed a customer as heavy as himself wave to the cashier. "Hmmmm," Lou wondered, "does he have a chocolate problem too?"
"I can't pay in cash! I don't have the funds right now," the customer was saying. "Can't you charge me once more for the chocolates? Please?"
"He has a problem all right," Lou thought. "He's probably deep in debt from eating so much. I feel sorry for him. I wish there were something I could...." Lou paused, his eyes lit up, "I know! I've got it! I've got it!" Lou waddled over to the customer and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, buddy, how would you like it if we cut your bill in half?"
"Huh? What?" The man was taken off guard. "Sure, I'd love it! But what's the catch?"
"Well, the owner needs to advertise this place ... and I notice you are a little on the stocky side like me."
"So...?" the customer puzzled. "So ... suppose the two of us get sandwich boards and advertise Bonnie's Best Bon Bons in the city square. You can work off half, maybe even more of what you owe just by strolling through the square. People could hardly miss seeing us and they'll sure get the point that the chocolates must be pretty good!"
"Well...."
"And besides, we can get acquainted and get a little exercise at the same time. It's worth a try, isn't it? So what do you say?"
"Okay, okay. I'll try it. But if I feel foolish, forget it!"
"Of course, of course. And if I find a few others like us, I'll see if I can get them to join us."
During the next couple of days Lou managed to strike the same deal with a few more overweight customers who couldn't pay their bills. The next Monday at noon, six of them marched into the city square. At first they felt silly since they practically filled the square with their bodies. And their huge waist lines made the sandwich boards practically stick out in front and back. Occasionally Lou had to encourage the others because some of the bystanders made nasty remarks about their weight.
"Hey, fatso -- are you bon bons full of nuts or raisins or what?"
However most of the people chuckled and quite a few curious onlookers visited the chocolate shop.
More importantly, the men began sharing their concerns with one another as they walked. They talked about how they had hoped to forget their problems by eating chocolates and how depressed they were because they felt so worthless. By the third day, they had bonded and now referred to themselves as "the bon bon boys!" By week's end their discussions had been so helpful that they decided to lengthen their advertising sessions by an hour!
On Friday Bonnie called Lou into her office. "Lou, I'm amazed at what you've accomplished. At first I thought your advertising stunt was crazy and I was going to fire you immediately. Not only for parading around in the square but for reducing the bills of our biggest customers without even asking! But within the hour the number of customers had increased twenty-five percent and now we are selling more chocolates than ever. You're shrewd, Lou, very shrewd. I would like you to stay here. We need you!"
Lou smiled from ear to ear. Yes, he was shrewd but he wasn't certain he could continue working next to all the coconut creams in the shop. Yet, now he had friends who supported him and he felt he had the courage to deal with his problem. "Let me think about your offer," he said. "Maybe I'll come back but only if I can wear very heavy mittens!" he laughed. "In any case, I've got to talk it over with the bon bon boys!"
Reflection
The only way to make a figure eight is by going down, under, over, and up. There's no way but down and once down it's back up again. Once completed the figure eight makes sense. Down, under, over, and up also describes the process of conversion. We move from being on top to hitting rock bottom before we can move back up again to complete the process of transformation. Stated another way, initially we experience relative stability in our lives, then instability, confusion, and a period of being down, at our wits' end, in the pits, etc. Only then do we begin to come back up into the light of day and restabilize with a new perspective on life. Paradoxically, we come out from under the basket by first going down under, being there for a while, and then coming up from under.
However miserable Lou is, as long as he manages to get along minimally at home and at work he isn't likely to change for the better. He changes only when he is grossly overweight and is fired from his job. Only then is he able to comprehend what he has done to himself, the predicament he is in, and the necessity of changing the direction of his life. Fortunately, he is able to find support "down under" from others who share his problem.
Bonding is a special kind of support. In conversion experiences those who support us best are generally themselves in need of similar support. Alcoholics Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous are examples of groups who recognize the power of bonding when people are in desperate straights. Bonding is done at the "bottom" because only when we are stripped of our illusions and brought low can we share what is left to share: the empathy of our common humanity. When bonding takes place we are already on our way up from under. Why? In the bonding we discover a sense of worth, self-esteem, and the possibility of a new vision for life. However brightly our light may have shone before the conversion, the best is yet to be!
Lou faces problems in his future. He's still got a long way to go. But now he has the strength and the support of others. Against this background, his light is able to shine. And because he helped others' lights to shine, his shone all the brighter.
When have we looked to others for help? When have we been helped so that we experienced light in our lives? Could this have happened if we hadn't reached out to others? Is this the step we need to let our light shine?
