Morning Happiness

I am not always one to eat breakfast. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of breakfast foods. But in the mornings, I’m usually running late and don’t have time to indulge. It was another one of those mornings last week. I was running late and barely made it to work on time, arriving at the last second with my stomach growling. As I walked toward the pharmacy, I was stopped by one of the doctors. Greeting me with a smile and an unfamiliar box, he said something to the extent of, “this is to thank you and the rest of the pharmacy for all the hard work you guys do.” Confused, I took the box. It was plain aside from a single sticker of a silhouette of a cowboy on a horse, and at the top it read “Donut Corral”. Before that day I had never heard of this place.

               My mistake was letting everyone else in the pharmacy know about the arrival of these donuts. I was expecting the usual average, slightly dry, glazed donuts. If I had known then what I had in my hands, I would’ve taken the goods and ran. My expectations were absolutely shattered when I open the box. There were a dozen completely different donuts and odd shaped pastries, and the cumulative smell was overwhelming. I wanted to try every last one of them. The cinnamon roll was massive. The maple bar had a distinct alluring smell, separating itself from all the others. The apple fritters were in a class of their own. Not just by flavor, but their odd shape and size made them the most memorable. I’m not one for jelly filled, but since I was sampling, that too was quite delicious. Thoroughly impressed by this box that turned my less than awesome morning around, I knew I had to go to this corral of donuts myself.

               Excited to try this new place for myself, I pulled into a spot right in front. I was immediately greeted with a “good morning” as I exited my vehicle. Startled, I returned the greeting from the gentleman, who was checking on all of his patrons both inside and outside. There were two entrances, both of which were wide open and inviting. Greeted again as I walked inside, it was hard not to be in a good mood. I took a quick peak around and sort of stood by, undecided and observant. The morning atmosphere and smells of fresh donuts and coffee was a lot to take in. It was fairly crowded inside, with families at a few tables and a bible study at another. I recognized a few of the donuts in the display case, but I saw many new ones that looked just as enticing.

 As I waited in line, I was surprised to hear someone order a breakfast burrito. Sure enough, I looked up and noticed big chalkboards staring back at me, advertising burritos. Right there in front of me were not only all the donuts a guy could dream of, but also burritos! I knew exactly was I was going to get. I stepped up to the counter and ordered from the extremely friendly staff. I ordered a half dozen of different donuts to take home and share, and then ordered a chorizo burrito with eggs, potato, and cheese. It took a little longer than expected for my burrito, but when I got home I found out that it was well worth the wait. A visit to “Donut Corral” has the power to turn any morning into a happy one.