A Birthday, Dippin' Dots and Taking it Easy

Sunday, September 6 - A Friend's Birthday Celebration: I've been on overdrive this year having so much to do that it's been hard keeping up with life. It's Labor Day Weekend, yet I decided to stay in town and catch up on life. Even though I've been so busy, I recognize the importance of trying to maintain some balance in life and I do what I can to be there for people. My friend was having a birthday celebration lunch at Sweetwater Tavern on Sunday and the invite said that only 4 people were attending, so I thought it would be a cozy lunch. It turned out that there were two tables and about 10 people, so it was good to have people come out and celebrate. Sweetwater Tavern did everything they could to make our time there as enjoyable as possible and that was appreciated. I love them Aussie Rolls with that special butter! Birthdays are special occasions and it's good to be there for them. The birthday guy had carrot cake made for him with enough to go around. When they brought it out and before the candles were blown out, I took a picture with my iPhone. It was just one picture but it's sure to mean a lot.



Sunday, September 6 - Dippin' Dots and Chilling Out: That afternoon I went to the shopping mall to look around. :) I also brought my laptop in and sat at a table and worked on some pictures. I had to get them done and made a lot of progress with the pictures. As I was packing up, I was in the mood for some dessert. I wanted something specific and it became clear that I desired Dippin' Dots. I enjoy ice cream, yet it's been rare that I've had Dippin' Dots. I don't think I've had it more than 4 times. I had a good variety of flavors to choose from and had a couple taste tests. As small as these dots are, they are filling. There were three sizes to choose from: Kiddie, Regular, and Large. I would have got the Kiddie size, but that would have been slightly embarrassing, so I got the regular size of Strawberry. As I was having my Dippin' Dots, I went from eating them quickly to discovering that I needed to slow down and savor the ice cream dots. It's too easy to eat them quickly and let them crunch in your mouth, sort of like eating a lolly pop rather than taking your time with it, tasting it, and prolonging the enjoyment of it. So I scooped a spoon of Dippin' Dots and put it in my mouth and just let the dots just sit on my tongue a few seconds, savoring it's taste, and found the enjoyment of it to be so much more flavorful. I thought about how life is like that. We're usually on the go here and there with so much on our plate, that I think we fail to slow down and enjoy what we have, thereby missing the full potential of the moment. What a lesson this was to me, as I made those ice cream dots last a long time and savored it and the life that I've been given.