Unlimited Toppings
When it comes to writing, any one who has spent anytime doing it will say the most important thing to do is just sit down and write. Well duh… It seems so simple and logical, but life has a way of moving the chair around every time I plan to sit down in it.
The repetition of writing in the same place at the same time everyday forms a habit. Habits form routines, routines form who we are.
That is a lot of words to say: Creativity is something we must intentionally allow into our lives or it will only come on occasion.
Last night after going to the park with my four year-old son he asked, “Mom can we get ice cream? It is almost the middle of September. The days are shooting by like a rocket. The ice cream shop in our town will soon be closed for the season so I said yes.
His eyes lit up when I asked him what he wanted to order. With his hands he made little circles as he said, “I want a cup of swirly whirly chocolate with cherry running down.” At the small ice cream stand his sisters joined us. One ordered a butterscotch parfait and the other indulged with a hot fudge sundae. I ordered the same as Judah, the chocolate swirly whirl which was a twist of vanilla and chocolate soft serve covered in cherry candy coating. He had a good idea, the twist of both chocolate and vanilla joined together with the crunch of the cherry candy tasted delicious. We giggled as we enjoyed our treats together.
When I was little we used to buy boxes of Fruit Loops with the Dairy Queen coupon on the back for a FREE sundae. It wasn’t hard to finish a family sized box of cereal between four children, and with the sundae incentive it was even easier.
I would go to school after my finished bowl of cereal day dreaming about the different sundae creations I could experience. I usually had a long time to day dream about it because it took weeks for each family member to get a coupon from the back of a cereal box so we could make our trip. My parents were brilliant the way they made us have to think about the FREE Sundae for so long.
By the time we actually went to the Dairy Queen I had a small book of drawings of hand made sundaes with crayon colored topping ideas. A drawing was dedicated to each of my three brothers’ favorite topping as well. The popular choice among us was a Nerd Sundae. The crunchy sweet pebble like candy was colorful over the cold white vanilla soft serve. Another favorite was classic Strawberry. My mother always chose the rich hot fudge sundae.
As we stood in line the tension grew as we tried to decide which topping to choose. A childish dream of mine was to work at Dairy Queen when I grew up for unlimited sundaes. I pictured the inside of the shop looking like the Dairy Queen commercial that aired during Saturday morning cartoons. Visions of ice cream mountains with chocolate, strawberry, and pineapple rivers running down and marshmallow whip hills danced in my head.
Sugar has always been appealing to my eye. It captivated my young unquenchable appetite. If someone asked me to make a wish, without pausing to think, I would wish for sugar. My fantasy was to own a candy store the size of a football field filled with every kind of candy imaginable. I didn’t think about my teeth or my blood sugar. I didn’t remember the belly ache after eating too many sweets. No memory of the painful cuts left on my tongue from the sharp edges of hard candy or the discomfort of worn off taste buds dissuaded me. All of the negatives to a sugar fetish were forgotten in light of the opportunity.
I look differently at sugar now that I am a grown up. I realize that I would not do well with a whole football field full of candy, but it is still a fun idea. Creativity is the space I give myself to dream about things I have long since forgotten about. Whether it is singing, writing, or dancing, when I allow myself to be free, I welcome that younger me to speak.
I am grateful for my four year-old’s perspective of “Whirly twirly chocolate” not only spoken but illustrated with his little hands. When we go to the ice cream shop it isn’t just a scoop it is a twirly whirly mountain of chocolate and vanilla covered in cherry dip.
When I sit down in the writing chair it isn’t just a flat paragraph of meaningless words strung together. No it is the opening of my creative mind. As I write all the vanilla swirly mountains capped by strawberry sauce and sprinkled in Nerds come into view. I am just a girl again drawing pictures of all the toppings.
Hmm... what will I write about today?”
She wants to try every flavor and as I allow myself to sit in the chair to form a habit that will become a routine I welcome her childlike perspective. I let her speak with all the bright colors of living life full of toppings.