Ice Cream Truck

There are some things in life that never get old. Neighborhood ice cream trucks fall into that category. There’s something about hearing the classic music box song from miles away, just barely being able to make out the tune, wondering for a second if you really do hear what you think you hear. The music gets closer. The sound gets louder. You were right… the ice cream truck! The scramble to find quarters and spare change has you rushing, not to miss your chance. In the warm Summer evening, you run barefoot out the door, hands waving as you make it to the corner just in time. Decisions. Popsicle or ice cream sandwich? Strawberry shortcake or chocolate bar? The struggle is real. You settle on an old favorite, hand over your change, smile, then head back to the front porch. A sticky, melty mess ensues and you enjoy every minute of it. The sun is almost gone, and in these small moments life couldn’t be better. As a child this played out for us in one way, glorious and tasty in it’s own right. Now, as parents and grandparents we have the joy of watching our sons/grandsons live out these memories in front of us, and the joy is even greater this time around.

We’re in the thick of wedding season. With 4 absolutely lovely weddings in the books, there are 24 to go before we close the chapter on this 2015 year. Things are really just getting started, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We love wedding season, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to have work. So many do not have the work they want, or need. But we are running on full power these days. Every hour of the day has it’s own schedule. Our To Do lists run pages long, and more things are added before we can check old things off. Laundry is piling up, the flower beds need to be weeded, we eat too much take out, and the glow of our computers keep us up, working until 2am most nights. This time of year we are on overdrive. So tonight when we have finished prepping for tomorrow’s wedding. When everything on our To Do list is crossed off, and the inbox is empty… we will wait for the faint sound of the ice cream truck. We will wait to know for sure. We will jump out of our seats on Maggie’s back deck, run through the house grabbing a few dollars as we go, and dash out the front door forgetting our shoes. We will take too long to decide which ice cream treat is just right. We’ll smile at the ice cream man, tell him to have a good weekend, then stroll along the sidewalk back to the front porch. We will sit. We will watch the tree line seem to light on fire from the glow of the orange sunset. We will watch the ice cream melt, and run down Sweet Cheek’s arm, and we’ll giggle at Chubby Cheeks as he reaches for the popsicle. We will sit for a moment, with nothing to do but enjoy the quiet joy around us, and we will be grateful.

Then, when the night comes and it’s too late to justify having a 3 year old awake any longer, it will be time to head home, get to bed, and start all over again tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll excitedly drive to another wedding, and we’ll work hard to do a better job than we did last time. That To Do list, which had finally been narrowed down, will grow in size again. The laundry will continue to pile up and the flower beds will still look a mess. A new week will begin and we’ll stay up too late working most nights. We’ll love the task at hand, and enjoy every minute of our work.

But by the time Friday rolls around, we’ll be listening for the sound of that ice cream truck.