My adult daughter and I had been out running errands and were pretty tired. On the way home, in a moment of inspiration and desire, it hit me that going to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream might be really nice. When I asked her if she’d enjoy that as well, she had the twinkle and bubbles of a little child. And so did I!
It was that moment that I began to ponder all of the little things, which were simple pleasures as a child.
Usually in the summer after church every Sunday we’d stop off at either the Dairy Queen for an ice cream or the A&W Stand for a cold mug of root beer. It didn’t cost much but it really was such a treat for us. I think the A&W Stand was my favorite. Mostly because a lady would come out, take our order and then bring it to the car on a big red tray, which she’d hang on our Mercury’s window. It was always amazing… My brother and I were filled with awe of the situation, and the anticipation of that first sip was almost too much…Those big thick glass mugs would be iced from rim to bottom with a thick coat and the root beer inside was to die for. That first sip was heaven on a hot day. Mmmm…
It was a simple pleasure…
Dairy Queen was another thing all together. It was Mom’s favorite… Frequently after shopping “we ladies” would stop off at Dairy Queen for a cone. Ice cream then was a real treat. It was one of those things saved for celebrations and holidays… and after shopping! Even my Mother and Grandmother had a sparkle to their eyes when it was mentioned. Knowing what a special treat it was made it even more so.
I could have whatever I wanted on the menu but almost always settled for a dipped in chocolate vanilla cone. The first crunch of the chocolate shell and the first licking of the now dripping vanilla ice cream, had all the right things to make a kid giggle with joy.
I almost always made a horrible mess on my clothes when the ice cream inside that hard chocolate shell melted a bit, then it oozed out and down my top. It really didn’t matter. We were done shopping and my messiness just wasn’t critical.
We all nibbled, licked and laughed…three ladies in a car acting like children…
Another simple pleasure…
Across from our table, as we ate our order of Carmel Sunday with extra Carmel were two little girls with their Mom and Dad. The girls were lost in that bubble of time that will one day become special in their memory. You can see the look of total joy on the faces of both girls. The parents were thoroughly enjoying the event and it looked like an outing that was special to them all.
Then I thought of A&W and Dairy Queen as a child… And I began to of all the kids growing up now that are entertained with electronics and have lost those types of simple pleasures…
I say, Bring Back the Simple Pleasures…
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