There’s a famous film of children being part of a psychology test.
It’s an old film, black and white, stationary camera to emphasize
It’s not a movie but documentation of an experiment.

Individual children are given a marshmallow, not quite a candy,
but close enough, told if they don’t eat it until the adult returns
and they still have the marshmallow they will be given another.
The adult leaves the room. The child is alone in the room.
One after another does nothing but stare at the marshmallow.
Some roll it over their body, their face, between their hands,
smell it, try to savour it without consuming. Not one can put
the marshmallow down and ignore it. It is everything.

Some wait for the adult to leave
and eat the marshmallow.
Without hesitation.

Subsequent studies confirmed
the children who waited to eat the marshmallow
did better at school, grew up, showed less
likelihood of being arrested, married more often,
had children, all of whom, in turn, did well.

But only recently has it been shown that the children
who ate their marshmallow right away, lived
more authentically, fulfilled more of their dreams,
had better sex lives, wrote more books, and engaged
more with their community.

It’s anticipated data will show
the children who waited
successfully accumulated innumerable
unrealized ambitions, and died with
a wealth of uneaten marshmallows.