Ice Cream Butter

This has nothing to do with work, and in fact, it’s a personal story that I think needs to be shared in light of Storm’s latest blog.

My son, who is almost three, is one of the brightest and silliest kids I have ever met (I admit that I might be a little biased being his mom). He is frequently making up silly words for objects and people that he feels deserve more fantastic names.

On one particular day he and I were in the kitchen preparing to make a gourmet lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches. I was pulling the “ingredients” out of the fridge as he told me what we needed. It was a very serious task and he was working hard at making sure we had all the necessary items. Well, we had the bread and we had the cheese and I was asked him what the last ingredient was that we needed. He proudly and seriously announced that it was “Ice Cream Butter”.

Of course, I thought this was just his most recent attempt at making the butter seem more appealing. However, when I looked at my son, he had his hand over his mouth and look of surprise that such a silly thing could spill from his lips without his permission. He began to giggle and soon he was rolling on the floor in hysterics repeating his new word over and over again.

Now, this story in itself isn’t very memorable or spectacular. But this was the beginning of a great thing. My son now uses his silly word to relieve tension in a room, for a little comic relief now and then or just when he feels everyone needs a good laugh. This is his cue to us that we need to step outside of our world and just enjoy the moment.

My husband and I have used it a few times as well and it works its miracle every time. When our son is crying hysterically, we just need to whisper “Ice Cream Butter” in his ear and it will bring a small smile to his face and a little giggle. It helps him remove himself from the moment and focuses his attention on the small happiness he gets from hearing his silly word.

So, how does this relate to Storm’s blog? It really doesn’t, except that I think sometimes we get so caught up in blaming someone else for our inconveniences that we forget it takes the same people to maintain them for us. I think that everyone needs to step out of their world every once in a while and just enjoy the moment. Enjoy the fact that we have the ability to pay for things using a credit card so that we don’t have to make that extra trip to the bank to get cash. Enjoy the fact that there is a bank that protects our money for us and helps it grow. Enjoy the fact that there are people in this world trying to make things easier for us everyday.

My son is wise, just as most kids are. In just his first three years, he has already learned a way to help himself and others learn to dwell on the positive rather than the negative.