Thursday, March 03, 2011

Put the Cone on Top....

Last weekend I was witness to Mr. Ryan's first ever ice cream cone. His mother/my daughter supplied plenty of napkins and let him slurp chocolate with jimmies all over his face and hands and everything. He licked and dripped away totally enthralled. I taught him how to lick around the cone so that he stayed ahead of the melting (not really possible).
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Later I sent my dearest friend a picture of Mr. Ryan's big event and she wrote back wondering how it could be that at age 4 he had not had an ice cream cone before now.
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I hadn't thought about that. Hmmmm. Good question.
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This was not the first time I'd seen Mr. Ryan being treated to ice cream. What was different? Aha! Before last weekend, the ice cream was in a cup. And the cone was ON TOP!
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For a two year old, doesn't that make sense? Too small to navigate the cone and the drips so put the cone on top, add a cup to manage melts, and enjoy an upside down ice cream cone.
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Makes me wonder what's really up and what's really down sometimes. The poet Mary Oliver alluded to that when she said "What if The root is the flower of the other world?"
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Now, at four, Mr. Ryan's Mother deemed him old enough to try his first big boy ice cream cone. He aced the challenge and the grin on his messy drippy face showed his pride and delight in a thousand ways.
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Ah, another lesson. Put the cone on top where all is secure and protected until you're ready to face the drips and slips. It's still an ice cream cone. Why teeter totter with mess and possible failure until you are ready and steady? Why rush the learning curve if in taking your time you will reap the amazing accomplishment of mastering this:
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I doubt Mr. Ryan made the metaphoric comparison between the cone on top and the cone on bottom. But I know he knew he had achieved something awesomely special. And thanks to his innocent enthusiasm and his Mother's wise timing, he was perfectly ready to let it rip:
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Love
♥kj

16 comments:

  1. Cute post KJ!!
    Mr. Ryan did just great

    ♥♥♥
    >M<

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  2. Did baby drew want a cone to hold too?! Mr. Ryan looks like he could already teach him. So sweet!

    xxx

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  4. aawwww! super cute :) the cone on top sounds yummy :d

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  5. I think part of the fun of the ice cream cone is the danger that it might slide, no? Maybe that's just me? At any rate, if it's the ice cream on top I then get to justify why I ate the entire thing in 8.5 seconds and now have one of those cold headaches... ;)

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  6. Aaaw, kj, this is such a delightful little story. Mr. Ryan's right of passage into little boy hood, his escort, a rightside up cone, is a real treat to read and savor.

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  7. And that my friend is why i have a full beard...I get to hide the mess in the hair and no one really knows what a sloppy eater i really am...that and I can run hot water through it and make some beards nest soup. It never tastes the same way twice.

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  8. I never knew there was an upside down ice cream cone. Mine have always had them the usual way (well, when they were old enough to hold them), and what usually happened is that they took a few licks and then handed them back - lol! Let's see, four kids times four ice cream cones...no wonder I have weight to lose! He is adorable, and so proud. xo Pam

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  9. I really like what you did with my question.
    I'm so glad you didn't think I was saying he was being deprived of anything!

    I have mastered the art of eating a cone, licking while packing the ice cream down so I have ice cream in that last little bite of cone.
    Heaven!

    And I think Mr. Ryan will teach Drew one day too :P

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  10. This is fantastic!! And what a lit-up face on Mr. Ryan! -- Melissa

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  11. love your brain kj!!! and your illustrations :)
    Ryan looks like pure joy, rocking that cone with a steady slurpy hand - and face!! great post!
    hugs, and love, Karin

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  12. Congrats to Mr. Ryan! Bravo!xoxo

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  13. I still havent mastered the ice cream cone eating art.

    cute post and love that photo of Mr. Ryan!

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  14. I have been known to look JUST like Mr. Ryan after eating an ice cream cone! I have NEVER mastered the art!

    Great story! Great photos!

    Love,

    ♥ Cupcake ♥

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  15. Very cute. Although I'm not a huge ice cream fan, I do love an ice cream cone once in a while.

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  16. ...also a good way for us 'adults' to deal with life, too. Sometimes it just more fun!

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