Life is short and it is fleeting. It is the human nature in us that makes us wish our life away. What do I mean? “I can’t WAIT ‘til Friday!” Or “I wish it was next week already!” It’s what we do when there is something exciting or better waiting for us. And we push away the bad times that exists if we can help it in an effort to get to the better time. But each moment that is given to us is still part of the life we have. Not every second of my 41-and-three-quarter years on this earth have been all cheese and lollipops, BELIEVE ME. But I don’t regret one bit of it. I have learned to embrace the times that are not-so-good or the things we deem as bad – even sickness and death.
There are people we don’t get along with, either. You know the ones. When you've done everything you can to be positive and have a smiley, ooey-gooey kind of day, and in one fell swoop the person you have to be around (sometimes there are several, but there’s always at least one) who is actually at their happiest being miserable, comes along and with one comment – ruins it.
This person could even be someone you love. Most times they aren't, but there are things that can happen with some of the most important people in your life that can bring you down. We don’t all get along with our parents or spouses every single moment of the day, do we? Arguments and disagreements can happen. There have been times I've had actual screaming matches with my children. (insert diabolical-I-can’t-believe-it music here) I remember one where my daughter, Chelsea, and I were both screaming so loudly at the same time … and we would stop at the same time, and start up again at the same time. The memory of it is funny now, but wasn't so at the time – luckily, she is one of my best friends now. Not that the kids wanted me to be upset or they enjoyed being upset, but it didn't make for a warm, fuzzy time in our lives when we argued or had screaming matches. But they are grown now and I wouldn't trade any of those arguments for anything. It’s what my legacy for them will be built from and what taught them (and me) life lessons.
I believe God allows us to have those moments – or even suffer – to bring opportunity to us: opportunity to learn, opportunity to set an example, opportunity to be there for one another, and opportunity to lean on Him and draw closer. I also believe God allowed good things for the same reason…like ICE CREAM. I believe God created ice cream to ease the pain like no medicine can.
The other day, I was really mistreated by someone … so much so that they brought (hard-core) me to tears. I was in an almost-panic attack. My chest hurt, my ears were ringing, and there was nothing I could do about it in this particular situation. Now this someone was not someone close to me or in my immediate family, but they are still in my life, and they are one of those miserable people I mentioned earlier. It was awful. But I also have a friend, Deborah, who knows about God’s wonderful elixir that is the creamed ice. She went into action like some superhero from an ice cream comic book. (In fact, typing this story, I see her with her hands on her hips, and her beautiful multi-colored sundae cape flying behind her in the wind.) She simply walked up to me and said, “Come on, we’re gonna go for a ride. It’ll only take fifteen minutes.” Sweeter words were never spoken. She took me to a wonderful, God-inspired, nectar in a sugar cone. She even took into consideration that I am an organic girl and made certain what I was eating was all right – not that it mattered, to be honest. Ice cream is ice cream, and there is no bad ice cream. With one lick of that soft cloud of vanilla goodness, all the bad feelings started to melt away. By the time I had finished the cone, I felt like a new woman. I think about what made me sad to begin with and it doesn't feel good. But I don’t regret the bad part, because without it, I never would have been brought closer to a friend who did what it took to make me feel better, and I never would have gotten the ICE CREAM!!
I have attached a home-made ice cream recipe below so that you can always have this amazing tool at arm’s length so that when you've had a bad day because of hard times, or a miserable person, or even screaming matches with the ones you love the most.
Yes, life is short and fleeting. Do your best to NOT be that person that people think are miserable or that makes people miserable. It’s the legacy you create while you’re alive, and the legacy you leave when you go. Remember the good things in life, even when bad things happen. It’s been this way since the dawn of time, and we've always screamed for the goodness when sometimes it’s right in front of us; screamed for the bad things to go away; screamed for God to get us through those times. I've screamed. You've screamed. I pray you get some ice cream.
Homemade Organic Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients:
1 cup organic whole milk
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
2 tbsp organic sugar
6 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed in a plastic baggie with flat side of a meat pounder – this ALSO helps with
anxiety or anger :-)) My fave brand of organic chocolate sandwich cookie is Late July
1/2 cup organic ice cream salt
Ice
1 gallon-size Ziploc baggie
1 quart-size Ziploc baggie
Directions:
Fill the large plastic bag with ice and ice cream salt. Carefully (maybe use a small funnel?) fill the smaller bag with the
milk, vanilla and sugar. Seal the small bag tight – MAKE SURE IT’S CLOSED.
Place the small bag inside the large ice-filled bag and seal large bag tightly.
Shake bag up and down for 10 minutes, putting some serious “elbow grease” into the shake, shake, shake.)
until ice cream has formed!
Scoop out ice cream and combine with crushed cookies, or topping of choice. (Obviously, you don’t have to use organic
ingredients, it’s just how I do it for my own family. Either way, ENJOY!!)