Whipping the Cream before the Cherry Placement

First published on Facebook, as a note: Monday, April 28, 2008 at 11:00pm

This is a deep contemplative outreach into my inner psyche. How one can reach out into one's inner psyche, I may never know, but that is the beauty of the english language, and one of the reasons I love writing so much.

I just received an email reply from a friend who has been through quite a year. This friend is a kindred spirit, and on the list for people I need to have a coffee with in the next five years! (Although, a Grounds for Coffee cinnamon bun would be way way better than any of that Second Cup nonsense they have in good 'ol' Ottawa...followed, of course, by a game of frisbee overlooking English Bay rather than getting caught in a thunderstorm while climbing on old prime ministers, although both were fun at that time.) In my latest email, I mentioned an anecdote comparing life to a sundae that my aunt told me four years ago about the state of my life right now. Four years have passed and I find myself in a similar position, still wondering if I'll ever have the cherry on top of that sundae.

Basically, I have most of the sundae prepared. And it's quite delicious. I envision mine a bit like a trifle, with the layers of cake and pudding and whipping cream. Ice cream is good too, and makes it more of a sundae, no? Maybe neapolitan, 'cuz I can never chose which flavour is my favourite. And while we're at it, a few maltesers in the mix wouldn't hurt either. My personality has a few hard bits that melt in your mouth when you suck on them long enough and let them. That's not the part that's changing though. The sundae has basically been set for my life, but I'm "putting the cherry on top" as my aunt told me. For how long? I can't remember her saying...and I'm beginning to think that it will always be that way.

I'm not ready for the cherry though. Perhaps that's why I chose to run off this year. I want to mess around with the whip cream for awhile, trying out some different things before settling on a good brand of the white, fluffy stuff. I already have a vague idea of what the cherry will be, but finding the right ingredient to compliment it is difficult, and one shouldn't be hasty with important decisions.