So this morning, the day after my girl’s 20th birthday, I bestowed upon her the privilege of having the leftover cinnamon rolls from yesterday morning’s special breakfast. There were only a few, not enough for all three children, and since we celebrate a birthday all week–sometimes all month–they were deemed hers.
Much to the displeasure of her carb-loving brother Cooter. He was quite devastated.
As Aub went to the refrigerator to get the sweet rolls, she asked me what they were in.
“I wrapped them in tin foil,” I answered. Which was hardly the truth. It’s aluminum foil now, everyone knows it, but some habits die hard.
She stuck her head in the frigidaire and began rooting around. She pulled out a tin foil bundle. “Oh please, oh please let this be the cinnamon rolls and NOT broccoli. Please not broccoli. I might lose my mind if it is.” She knows me well. When I roast a bunch of broccoli, I sometimes tuck the leftovers in foil for a snack later on.
She pulled back a corner and grimaced instantly. “Oooooohhhh, it IS broccoli. I hate it when things aren’t what they look like on the outside.”
Yeah, baby girl, me too.
Like when you meet someone and your first impression is that they are pretty okay and then you find out they park in handicapped spaces for the sport of it or they make fun of people who are different or that sort of thing. Or when you think you’re about to take a sip of water and it’s Sprite or some such nonsense. Or worse, it’s unsweet tea when you were expecting sweet. That’s just not okay.
It is hard when people and things aren’t what they first seemed to be.
And yet, sometimes, every once in a blue moon or so, the opposite happens. You think–oh well, here’s a plain ol’ ball of tin foil. Probably some broccoli or something like that in here. And then, when you open it up, tucked inside extra special is a small bundle of cinnamon deliciousness. Or when you stay up late talking to someone you’ve just met and you know instantly that they will always be in your life. Or when someone you’ve known in the background for a while steps to the forefront and you find a kindred spirit.
Those cinnamon rolls. They make the digging through all those tin foil packs so very worthwhile.
May life surprise you with cinnamon rolls and all the good things today. And may you find yourself not discouraged when something isn’t what it first seemed. Keep looking. Those cinnamon rolls are out there.
Love to all.
I Might Need A Nap 