An Almond All Alone

Have I ever told you that story about the almond and the walnut that became the best of friends and eventually, the talk of the town?! No? Well then, wait until you hear what I have in store for you!It all started in a far, far away land called “Nuttopia”, where nuts of all sorts ruled the day! There were pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, peanuts…well, you get the point, right? A ton of diversity in “Nuttopia”! The thing is, there was this one nut, belonging to the Almond Family, who just never seemed to fit in. No matter how hard he tried, he was constantly overlooked by everyone around him. The reason being, he was born half-bitten!! He was just…incomplete…Well, every single week, there was this competition that rewarded the greatest achievement made by an inhabitant of “Nuttopia” with the grand prize, and that’s not including the pure gold trophy that came on the side! The fortunate winner would actually be roasted in the sun and packaged as a snack, an absolute honor for any nut! That’s right, a literal roast underneath that fiery, orange star, where he or she could achieve the ultimate prize of being sun-glazed and marked as a taste-worthy nut!However, our hero, the unfortunate, imperfect Almond, just could not seem to find a purpose in his life and as such, he never felt valuable enough to enter the competition. Until one day! A day when a Walnut named Jerome, flowing with energy, stumbled upon the down-on-his-luck Almond and decided to fill him with a sense of purpose and a newfound zest for life! They bonded, almost instantly, and the pair decided to fuse together as a mixed-nut by way of a natural “glue” (I can’t spoil the entire story, so I’ll leave that secret for you to discover). Let’s just say, their decision came as a gigantic surprise to all.This tale goes out to everyone, young and old, but especially to those with an “inner child” bursting with imagination and willing to let their thoughts roam free to a magical land filled with quirky, yet lovable nuts. And to anyone allergic to nuts, well, I hope you will forgive the subject matter, but please feel free to substitute the characters with M&M’s or your favorite candy instead!Remember to never stop dreaming and to always love yourself for who you are. Only then will others begin to notice your inner glow.