The Silver Spoon

I'm an eater. I'm an eater and thinker. I think while I eat. One day, not too long ago I was eating ice cream. Ice cream for me is close to a religious experience. When purchasing ice cream, I stand in front of the freezer counter and stare, almost trance like. I look at each little individual pint and read the ice cream titles. I say titles, rather than flavors, because ice cream is no longer simple. Gone are the days of chocolate, Neapolitan, strawberry and (shutter) vanilla. And good riddance I say! Ice cream is a decadent reward, and as such, deserves a decadent title.

As I read I free associate with the titles, until one of the flavors is too irresistible to pass up. For example, as I stand in front of the Ben and Jerry's pints, all lined up like little soldiers on the front line, I may read the flavor, Chunky Monkey. Monkey makes me think of my 5 little monkeys (my kids). If it has been a good day, that may evoke warm, fuzzy emotions and I may grab that flavor because I love my 5 precious little monkeys. If, on the other hand it has been a bad day (like the day that my 2 year old cut off her pony tail - TOO THE SKIN; or maybe the night that I went in, late to check on all my little sleeping beauties and found that my 16 year old son had "stuffed" his bed and snuck out the window) I might shiver a bit at the thought of that flavor and move on - but you get the picture.

I digress. As I was becoming one with my pint of Dublin Mudslide, I noticed the spoon I had chosen, and always choose when gorging on this decadent treat. It was a large silver spoon. I don't happen to own any silver, just plain ole stainless flatware. I don't know where this spoon came from, actually. I might have inadvertently brought it home from a church potluck, or maybe from my mother's. The point is, I love this spoon. It is large, really more of a serving spoon. It has a fancy curvy handle and it feels heavy in my hand. Eating my ice cream with this spoon has become a ritual, like a courting ritual. The ice cream deserves the silver spoon, I woo it with the silver spoon.

I was contemplating the spoon as I ate my ice cream that evening, where this particular spoon may have come from, which lead to, "I wonder who invented the spoon?". This lead to more philosophic thoughts on spoons, which lead me to my spoon theory. More like a cutlery theory actually. I'll try to explain it as I rationalized it that evening. Spoons have a deep well. They catch and hold everything that they are sunken into. They don't pick and choose, they accept. Spoons hold comforting foods. Ice cream of course, but also, soups, stews, Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries. They also deliver life saving medicines, like Pepto Bismal. Forks on the other hand are picky. They stab at bits of food, taking some and leaving some. Forks go for just exactly what they want, they sift, they don't take in the whole. They stab at the meat, but the delicious gravy drips right through. They are a hurry up cutlery, just fork in a few bits and go. The knife, ugh the knife. Slicing its way through life. The steak knife hacks through, the butter knife spreads through, the butcher knife - well you get it.

I began to assign all those around me to cutlery. I'm a spoon. No doubt about it. I want to relish it all, take it all in. I may not like everything I scoop up, but so what, it is only one scoop. I'll be more discreet next time, there is always time to pick and choose. I want to try it all, while I can. I married fork. He takes only what he wants, never tries anything new. It took me along time to realize that and it makes me sad. We are working on it. I would say he is a spork now. He is a work in progress. All five of our children are definitely spoons. I'm so glad. I wouldn't know how to mother a fork. I have worked with forks. I never understood them. They never understood me. I have gone to church with forks. They scare me.

The realization of all of this is that I know I am a spoon. I am thankful to be a spoon. I want to be a silver spoon. High quality, lasting, shining, proud of who I am. I want to raise my children to be silver spoons as well.

I'll always be an eater and a thinker.