Meet the Slurpee Mascot

That’s right I became the Slurpee mascot for one day. It was the yearly customer appreciation day at local 7-11 store, usually the Saturday after Labor Day. Since coincidentally this year that day fell on 9/11 there was an ominous and somber presence in the atmosphere, we tried to make this day better by giving out hotdogs, chips, donuts, sandwiches, pencils, pins, caps, t-shirts, balloons and finally ice cream, all GRATIS. My call to food action doesn’t end there. Robert, the manager made me promise to don the mascot suit once again, the first one I did two years ago. As was the usual deal I agreed if only I would do it wearing sunglasses. After all I’m still shy facing people but semi-incognito I turn into this confident, smiling, ready-for-the world person.

The other thing is I’m willing to do this because all the people who know me within the 10 mile radius are inside the store. So, I stood in the main road smiling my best smile and waving my best arm. The most rewarding part here comes from the drivers’ reaction. Surprising to say they do acknowledge a weird person in a Slurpee costume with balloons - gratuitously, with effort or just plain watching the road. In a swift moment I had this engaging thought about the different lives every car, van, SUV or truck must lead, and to what purpose this one road at this time will lead them to. It was my peaked curiosity not the embarrassment of waving in a crazy way that got the best of me. I would think it was even worth a few thank yous to entice people to enjoy the free stuff even for a day. But it was equally rewarding if by the end of the day a young girl from a van would shout out: “Thank you very much Slurpee Lady!” . And that would just melt your heart for a while.

P.S. As a slurpee lover, the drink was actually not free.