Childhood in a Can

If I worked for Campbell's Soup's advertising company, I'd pitch this for a series of print, TV, and social media ads. Nostalgia to the max, this would revive the brand for any baby boomer. Didn't all our moms serve us Campbell's chicken noodle soup with a sandwich on our days home from school? Wasn't it one of the first things you were allowed to make on your own? How many of us used the can to make a pencil holder? I'm sure there are a zillion delicious memories behind the red and white label among my generation. Here I am, 56 years old, three weeks into my six-week recovery for a new hip, and I've probably had Campbell's soup every day. If only Mom were here to put it down in front of me, in my favorite cup, and sit with me while I slowly slurped the broth, spelling out words with the letter-shaped noodles, chasing around the carrots or barley, leaving nothing but a little ring around the top. Pure pleasure.