Life, and a bowl (or cone) of ice cream

Have you ever considered that all you need to know about an individual's approach to life can be determined by a half gallon of neopolitan ice cream?

Case in point ...

Last night, I went to the grocery store. I bought butter, a package of chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies, neopolitan ice cream, and a few other items. Before I'd pulled the car to a stop in the driveway, Bella and AJ were out the front door of the house, waiting for me. They knew I was bringing home dessert.

We were keeping the Preg boys, so I told all the kids to stay out of the kitchen until I called them in one-by-one. (Small kitchen, you know -- not nearly large enough for six kids all at once.) I let each child tell me what kind of ice cream they wanted -- and it occurs to me now that my kids chose ice cream that fits their outlook on life PERFECTLY!

Eli, the "safe" one who prefers things plain, simple and familiar, chose chocolate and vanilla. No strawberry.

Emma, the "luxurious" one who prefers to be pampered, chose (you guessed it) mostly chocolate.

AJ, the "quirky" one whose all about some creativity and uniqueness, didn't care what colors he had, so long as we topped it with some crushed-up, chocolate-covered marshmallow cookie.

And Bella, the "spirited" one who enthusiastically embraces life, communicated vivaciously that she wanted "some of all the colors."

I, the "somewhat-creative recovering perfectionist," indulged in a little of the colorful fare myself: strawberry inside the cone (to be enjoyed last), with chocolate and vanilla swirled together on top.

G-Love, the "resourceful" one who likes to do things in his own time, didn't partake along with the rest of us. Later, sitting peacefully in his big green chair, he enjoyed his particular selection: all the colors, easy on the chocolate, with maraschino cherries (scavenged from the fridge) on top.

So there you go -- life, and a bowl (or cone) of ice cream.