“Try it.”
Your mother coaxed the over-cooked broccoli toward five-year-old you, didn’t she? And you eyed that steaming pile of slime, put your hands over your mouth, and shook your head until it almost rattled off your neck. Because every child knows broccoli is disgusting, right? Even if they haven’t tried it.
I experienced the other end of this dilemma when we took our guideson Cooper to Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park for his sixth birthday. (And yes, I plan to share parts of the trip as an overall Cooper update. If you read Not Without My Father, you met him when he was almost three. He even walked part of the Trace with me!)
Here’s what eating with Cooper was like:
SCENE 1:
“I don’t eat butter on my pancakes!”
“Did you try it?”
“No, but I don’t like butter on my pancakes! Take it off! TAKE IT OFF!”
Scrapes butter off and slathers on my pancakes. “There? Happy now?”
“And I only eat syrup in a bowl on the side. YOU RUINED MY PANCAKES BY PUTTING SYRUP ON THEM. I’M NOT EATING ANYTHING EVER AGAIN!”
SCENE 2:
“I said I wanted a hot dog.”
“But I gave you a hot dog.” Holds up two fresh-grilled wieners. “See? Two yummy hot dogs all for you.”
“I ONLY EAT THEM CUT IN PIECES THIS SIZE.” Makes gesture of indeterminate size. “I’M NOT EATING THESE YUCKY HOT DOGS.”
Cooper set food boundaries, and they impacted his enjoyment of any meal. His inflexible rules became a self-contained prison from which there was no gastronomic exit. I love him, but he’s not my kid. I couldn’t force him to color outside the lines.
I sometimes wonder how much my adult self resembles the child who shunned everything without giving it a chance.
We live in a world with more boundaries than ever. Thanks to the internet, we have more information at our fingertips than at any other time in history. And because of our slow-processing minds, we’re buried with options.
What do our brains do when presented with too many options?
We shut down. We make snap judgements. We scroll by. We decide we won’t like something before we try it. We base the value of a thing on the experiences of others rather than form our own conclusions. We take the same route to work, eat at the usual places, hang out with our cliques, consume redundant news, and cloister ourselves in boxes of our own making.
Why do so many adults choose bound-up lives with no exit? I don’t know. I can’t fix what other people do with their lives, but I can knock down barriers I create in my own life.
That’s why my last trip was to a place I never, ever would’ve chosen. I’ll tell you about it in future posts.
When was the last time you tried something you thought you wouldn’t like? How’d it go? Share your experiences in a comment.
10 Comments
I have tried for most of my life to like certain types of squash and sweet potatoes. I do enjoy zucchini, but most other types of squash just won’t get past my lips. I love the smell when it’s cooking, but my lips just say no. As for sweet potatoes, I can eat them French-fried, but that’s it. Weird.
Have you ever eaten the Southern version of sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans? You’d probably like them that way. 🙂
The last time I tried something I thought I wouldn’t like???? Going to the Fair with my husband and riding on a ride. Anyone who knows me understands that I don’t do well in crowds, driving in traffic, going to the movies (crowds and perfumed people), going to concerts (crowds and….), etc…I get massive anxiety and those that are with me pay and pay dearly….but we went. We even rode on the Ferris Wheel and then when we left we ran through the downpour and were sopping wet by the time we reached the car. Sopping wet. Instead of being upset we laughed and laughed and laughed and then I took a selfie of us wet as can be and laughing. There are a lot of times I do not do things knowing that I will make it miserable on others…and sometimes I do go and yes, it’s miserable…but this time? This time was magical.
I love this story, Lori. Perfection. So much of my ultimate enjoyment has to do with me. I’m relieved to hear this experience was something you won’t regret. xoxo
I recently read a book that I’d been putting off because the main character was a cat in a fantasy world. Although I’ve always enjoyed the author’s writing, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get into this one for that reason. But I needn’t have feared. It was wonderful. I couldn’t put it down!
What was it? Also, I owe you a blurb. I finished. Please look for it in the coming days. We’re leaving Charleston ahead of the hurricane tomorrow morning. xo
Wow, that was fast! Thank you! The book I read was called ‘Paw’ by L.E. Henderson. She’s a very talented indie author.
Safe travels to you.
i joined a yoga class and was always afraid that i wouldn’t be able to do it, and did okay –
Yoga is a gift to ourselves, isn’t it? I’d probably be even less sane if I didn’t practice. Are you still practicing?
Yes
Comments are closed.