My grandson asked why I always put the sandwich in his lunchbox but leave the ice pack on the counter

My grandson asked why I always put the sandwich in his lunchbox but leave the ice pack on the counter.

I told him it's called strategic refrigeration.

The sandwich goes in the lunchbox at 7 a.m. The ice pack stays on the counter because I remember it exists at 7:45 — right after the bus pulls away.

By lunch, that turkey has reached its full room-temperature potential. Some call it food safety negligence. I call it teaching resilience.

Punchline

Besides, the ice pack works great as a forehead compress when I realize what I've done.