Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Little Things

Sometimes little things get me thinking... a lot.  My brain is always ticking, ideas swirling around in circles. I grab one, maybe two to mix together, let them percolate awhile, spreading slowing and gradually, then becoming lively, growing until it all comes rushing out, black ink gliding on my paper.

Well, yesterday, a little thing happened. A friend at my school sent me an email... "It's your lucky day. Come down to my office. I have a banana tootsie pop that I've been saving just for you." What? Banana? Since when do they make banana tootsie pops? What about the flavors of my childhood: grape, orange, cherry, chocolate? I knew that later the company had added raspberry, but banana?

Of course, during my planning period, I went to her office to collect my prize.  When she placed it in my palm, she had no idea that tootsie pops were kind of like a time machine for me, transporting me back to my elementary years.  You see, my dad, a former math teacher, is a big, completely bald man. His students used to call him Kojak, after the Telly Savalas character on tv who always had tootsie pops. They began giving him tootsie pops... a lot of them... tootsie pops overflowing our house.

My younger brother and I loved tootsie pops.  We were fascinated by their wrappers.  used to race to find any good luck charms on them.  We always looked for the indian shooting at a star.  In later years, we also looked for three unbroken circles surrounding the logo.  According to the stories we had heard, if a person found either thing on the wrapper, she would have good luck for the day and could redeem the wrapper for a free tootsie pop.

The wonder of a child at tiny things... unwrapping a tootsie pop, popping it into my mouth, tasting the sweet orange candy melt.... flattening the wrapper on the wooden table, smoothing out enough of the wrinkles, holding my breath as I look for the lucky indian with his bow and arrow pointed at the star, my eyes lighting up when I find it.  Good luck for the rest of the day... a glorious promise to a nine year old.

Well, yesterday I replayed that scene, and guess what?  As I smoothed out the wrapper, I found my lucky indian & star.... AND there were three unbroken circles.  A double-lucky wrapper!  Good luck multiplied by two?  Not one, but two days of good luck?  Maybe even more than that.  maybe my luck is changing.  I've been feeling it deep inside, started as a tiny spark that has been growing for the past couple of months.  Part of me has been holding my breath, worried that I might accidentally blow out that spark.  But the fire is strong now.  I'm strong now... and it seems silly that I couldn't articulate that until I found a doubly-lucky tootsie pop wrapper.  My luck is changing... or maybe I've just realized that I don't have to wait for good luck to happen by.  I can make it for myself, for the strong me... the me who is ready to live for new possibilities... to relish every day as a new and different experience... to embrace this world with a wide-open heart and mind.



5 comments:

  1. I love this part: "My luck is changing... or maybe I've just realized that I don't have to wait for good luck to happen by. I can make it for myself..." You are a strong person and you create your own happiness through your thoughts and attitude. It is strange and wonderful how a tiny reminder from our childhood can provide such clarity for us as adults.

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  2. Now I am wanting a tootsie pop! The orange ones were/are my favorite. I did not know about the wrappers, but I will be sure to look now!

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  3. My luck is changing... or maybe I've just realized that I don't have to wait for good luck to happen by. I can make it for myself, for the strong me... the me who is ready to live for new possibilities..

    I can make it for myself. Wow. Pretty profound concept to discover in a tootsie pop. Thank you for the reminder, That I can be strong. Love the images. And how some object can being you back in time. I will think of your father when I see a tootsie pop.

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  4. I agree with the others!

    "My luck is changing... or maybe I've just realized that I don't have to wait for good luck to happen by. I can make it for myself..."

    Beautiful space to be. Live every second of it. Make it happen! Feel supported and loved in this journey. ~ j.

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  5. My post today is called, "Today I fell in love." And that's true ... but I hadn't read your post yet. Now I've fallen in love again!

    Your Tootsie pop memory is so vivid and sweet and lovely ... and then you open up with that glorious ending about your luck changing and making your own luck. Oh my.

    Thank you.

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