By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL/Designated Writers

Sometimes life takes you to places that you didn’t know you had ever left. For me, that was in the frozen foods section of a local grocery.

There it was, as if it were covered in neon. Frozen orange juice. Years of grocery shopping and I had gone right past it every time.  I had no intention of buying orange juice, much less the frozen variety, but all of a sudden, years of breakfasts flashed before my eyes. Breakfasts that were filled with old school frozen orange juice throughout my childhood and early adulthood.

Since that time, OJ has undergone a seismic shift. Now it comes ready-made; you just pour it into a glass and it’s bottoms up!

I did that for awhile — it’s just so easy — until 10 years ago, when I became a Crystal Light devotee. Pour the packet into water, shake it up and it’s ready to go.

Frozen orange juice? That seems so neanderthal.

Maybe so, but I couldn’t wait to take it home and get ready for the next day’s breakfast. But you can’t go into this pell-mell. There is a certain hierarchy that much be followed.

** Do not let it thaw overnight. Sure, that seems counter-productive, but stay with me.

** When you wake up, set it out for about 10-15 minutes to ease in the distribution process.

** You can try to squeeze it out, but a strong spoon will probably do wonders.

** THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP. Once the still-almost-frozen OJ has reached the promised land, use the now-empty container to add water. COLD water, not tap water. There is a large difference and you don’t want to be left wanting after all the trouble you have been through. Stir and stir and stir — this is the downside to not letting it thaw overnight — and then stir some more. If you notice a few small crystals in there, you are about to experience pure, unadulterated joy my friend.

** Only use a glass — never a plastic cup — to drink orange juice. Anything else is sacrilege. Don’t be that guy (or girl).

** Let it happ’n, cap’n.

** Send a Thank You note to Designated Writers.

I have no intention of making the switch permanently. Let’s face it, it’s just too much these days. But I just wanted to make sure you knew it was still out, (literally) chilling in the frozen foods section.