31 Flavors.

So many flavors, so little time.

Remember Forest Gump and his..."life is like a box of chocolates?" Nothing like blending theory with confection.

Lawyer (the artist formerly known as my Crush) likes ice cream. No, actually...he adores ice cream. To the extent that if I was dangling off a cliff beside a pint of Haagen Dazs, he'd save me...but he'd have a tear in his eye. In the world of sweets, rarely will you find a dessert that offers so much variety. There's a host of different ways you can experience it, so many different flavors that can offer a unique twist.

I suspect life and thoughts can work the same way. In my mind there is a Baskin-Robbins, offering a lovely (and not so lovely) assortment of flavors. What do I have a taste for? What do I want my ice cream experience to be like? I think I (and others) sometimes forget that just as we can choose a flavor in our ice cream, so can we in our own life experiences.  I happen to know that I dislike pecans. So, I choose to avoid the experience of them. Imagine if I did the same thing with pessimistic thoughts, or unwanted fears? Imagine if, I just moved right by that, to the Pistachio Almond? I'm paying for this experience, aren't I? Why shouldn't I pick and choose the flavors that make it enjoyable?

Every day, we're walking into the ice cream shop. 31 flavors. From the minute we step our feet on the floor, we are making a choice. What taste do I want to experience today? Poor self-esteem, lack of self worth, anger, jealousy, resentment...they don't go so well with fudge sauce and cherries. They do nothing to enhance my experience. So why not move past them, to something that tastes so much sweeter? It's our ice cream shop, this life. At least, that's what I'm telling myself these days.

If I view life in this respect, suddenly the choices seem much more attainable...almost easy. There is no phantom hanging over my head, controlling my experience. There is just me. There is no one with the ability to shove spoonfuls of butter pecan down my throat, like it or not. I can wave it away, and opt for something else. Just like that. And I can keep waving it away. Just like that. And...something tells me, practice makes perfect.

Maybe even one day, I'll be able to walk into my own personal ice cream shop...where the only flavors offered (ribbed for my pleasure, of course), are the ones of my choosing.

What flavor are you experiencing in your life, today?