Vanilla

Overall, I like thinking of myself as being an adventurous sort of fella. When it comes to life, I feel my inner Indiana Jones is bubbling just under the surface, ready to burst forward at the possibility of trying something new: a new food, going to see a new artist perform music with which I am not familiar, or even taking a new path to get to a familiar destination. Having said that, more and more I am coming to the conclusion that in reality my Indiana Jones is buried within me a lot deeper than I admit. For it to emerge, a great deal of coaxing and hand-wringing must first occur. And even then, it is with great reluctance that it pops its out from underground.

The other day I went to get an ice cream cone with a friend. The choices of flavors seemed as long as I-95. Many of them, to me, looked so tasty and seemed very exotic. So, what did I order? That's right: a single scoop of vanilla. How un-Indiana Jones is that? I have had vanilla a million times before. Without question, it is my favorite. Still, I confess to feeling a bit disappointed in myself at those moments because it represents me turning away from the new and sticking with the old. Is that a bad thing? In the case of ice cream, no. But in other areas of life, perhaps so. I, of course, am referring to communication.

All of us interact with others on some level most every day of our lives. At those times, as a result of the many variables that contribute to our moods and attitude, we are slightly different each time we encounter another, including one with whom we are familiar. When we communicate with each other in the same way during those times, the result can often prove to be not nearly as satisfying or fulfilling as we might like. In other words, vanilla might not always be the best choice to make. Each of our encounters is different because each day we are different - even in small ways. This requires an active readiness to be adventurous and adjust how we communicate from day to day.