One of my family’s favorite
places to visit is the Disney Marketplace, or Downtown Disney as I’m used to
calling it. It’s a series of specialty
shops, restaurants, and night clubs centered around the business of pushing
everything Disney onto poor tourists or my family. A lake sits in the middle where visitors can
rent paddle boats or canoes. You can
even go up in a hot air balloon and look down on all of the delights, not that
I ever intend to enjoy that heart-stopping entertainment. The girls love to go through each and every
store and ooo and ahhh over the things we’ll never really buy. We’ve worked hard making our home look just
the right way and a blender shaped like Mickey Mouse just doesn’t fit the
motif. Yet, we go and enjoy browsing,
usually making a full day out of it.
On one such trip, I wasn’t really
up to the mind-numbing march through the gazillion stores, and yes, I counted
them. I took my backpack full of writing
and found a quiet spot by the lake and, with a fresh supply of coffee, made
myself comfortable for a day of words. I
also kept the cash and credit cards on me, not wanting to suffer the debt of
their impulse shopping. It’s amazing
what they will rationalize purchasing when I am not there to say, “Hell
no!” They were nice enough to check in
on me once in awhile, offering to get me more coffee. I was smarter than the girls thought and only
gave them enough cash for my coffee.
As I sat there enjoying my view
and my steaming java, the small area I had taken up residence in began to fill
up. Soon, every other table had tourists
chittering away around it as they munched snack food quickly, and I had this
nice round table that sat four people all to my lonesome. It was good for me, because I prefer to
spread my stuff out when I write - my notebooks! Get your mind out of the gutter.
Soon, I was set up and focused on
my writing and ignoring the looks of desperate people with no place to sit and
enjoy their overpriced churros. That is,
until this grandfather needed a place to sit with his four-year old grandson
while they enjoyed their ice cream cones before the cold sugary sweetness
dripped all over their hands.
The little old man had salt and
pepper hair and a gentle smile. How can
you refuse a sweet grandfather type? The
girls would kill me if I said no. So, I
slid my stuff over and allowed them to have the other side of the table. Of course, then I did what any good writer
would do; I eavesdropped.
The grandfather just sat, quietly
licking at his vanilla cone. That is, he
did for all of thirty seconds when his grandson couldn’t hold his questions in
any longer. I can understand as the
eight-year old barely lasts that long, either.
“What are we having for dinner?”
The little boy asked.
The grandfather kept licking his
ice cream. “I don’t know.”
“I want hamburgers. Do you think we’ll have hamburgers?” The ice cream is beginning to dribble down
the cone and to his hand.
“I’m not sure what we’re
having.” The grandfather concentrated on
his cone, none of the ice cream was allowed to even drip over the edge of the
cone.
“Well, I hope it’s
hamburgers. I really want hamburgers.”
And then Grandpa said the words
that made the whole scene stick in my head.
He wasn’t even looking at his grandson when he said it. “You know, you’re going to worry so much about
the hamburgers you want tonight, you’re going to miss enjoying the ice cream
you have now.”
Quite often, that’s me. I’m so worried and curious about what’s going
to happen tomorrow or next week or even next year, I don’t enjoy what I’m doing
right then. I’ve wasted quite a bit of
ice cream over the years.
The future will either be there
or it won’t. I was going to write,
“Enjoy the present, because the future will always be there.” Yet, the truth is, it won’t be there one
day. All we really have is now, which is
why I eat my ice cream before my hamburger, just in case. I don’t want to miss dessert, after all, and
by my waistline, I haven’t missed too many bowls.
It is one thing to plan for the
future; it’s another to worry so much about it, it consumes you. Savor the moment. Take your time and breathe in the aromas,
hear every little sound, feel every sensation.
This is the only “now” you’ll ever be given, so do yourself a favor -
make it two scoops and add some sprinkles.
*
* * * *
Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!
For Further Reading ~ Answer Me!
Nice post, Robbie. I have visited Downtown Disney and I also found it quite enjoyable. I would have to forego the hot air experience with you but I must admit, there would be a churro in my mitts in no time!! What a golden opportunity to people watch, a writer's dream. That grandfather sounds like he did indeed offer his grandson some very insightful guidance because as a wise teacher once wrote, "If you have one foot in yesterday and the other in tomorrow, you will certainly miss today." Thanks for another great read.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephanie! With one foot in one place and the other in another, it also leaves you quite vulnerable. Here's to enjoying the here and now. Thanks, as always, for visiting and commenting.
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Posts don't get much better than this one. Thanks so much for writing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Darlene, and thanks for visiting and commenting.
DeleteThis is so true...and so me! My dear, sweet husband indulges me occasionally but for the most part, he is my rock. He keeps me grounded in the here. He reminds me often not to worry so much about tomorrow or even this afternoon or evening but to just be happy in the moment. I am a worrier by nature so stopping to "enjoy the ice cream" is something I struggle with daily. Hopefully though, as I make a more converted effort I will eventually learn to appreciate the ice cream cone in my hand and not the burgers we may or may not be having for dinner. Thanks for another great read! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Helen! It's a constant battle for me, as well. Hopefully, this year I'll get more ice cream. Looking at my waist, however, I don't think it's going to be permitted. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
DeleteThis post was adorable, but it really hit home for me. I'm done reading and am choked up. It's not anything I can share in detail. All I can say is SUKI. Robbie, I know you know it's the novella I wrote, but your post completely sums up the book. The next time someone asks me what my book is about, I'll refer them to this post...
ReplyDeleteThank you! I just bought Suki this morning :) I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for visiting, Christina!
Delete