Simple Things

 

   C and I usually have a date day or at least part of a date day once a week. It's a time where we spend time with each other doing something fun or maybe simply having lunch out. Since Thursday was Thanksgiving and neither of us felt like eating out, we decided to go out for a hot chocolate.

  Right before we left C had an idea. We should get our hot chocolate and also share a peppermint shake from Chick-fil-A. He said the the combination of the hot chocolate and the cool peppermint shake would be really good. I thought it was overkill, but agreed to do it.

   After dropping a loaf of bread off at a friend's house we went through the drive through to get the hot chocolate. When I have a choice I usually get dark chocolate. It's not quite as sweet and has lots of flavour. C always gets milk chocolate. Then we went to Chick-fil-A. C went inside and picked up our preordered shake. It was topped with whipped cream and a cherry. I asked C if he wanted to cherry. He said no so I took it. I don't know why I still ask. He always lets me have the cherry because he know I like them. I don't know why I like those maraschino cherries as I tend to prefer my fruit in the natural state (not cooked or candied).

   We drove to a park. C had one sip of the shake and aid, "You are going to love this." He was right. Rather than peppermint flavoured ice cream, the shake was made with vanilla ice cream and finely crushed peppermint candy. I liked the bit of crunch in the texture. It paired really well with the dark hot chocolate. We sat in the car passing the shake back and forth and alternating sips of shake with our hot chocolate. It was good and I told C so.

   It felt good to sit in the car with a view of the baseball field. Across the field we could see a woman hanging Christmas lights on her deck. The sun was shining and the grass on the field was still green. C and I sipped our drinks and enjoyed the luxury of simply enjoying each other's company without having to do anything. It just felt good.

   Once we finished our drinks it was time to go home. C wanted to work on a song he is writing and I had an essay I wanted to start writing. Both of us felt refreshed from our little break and ready to get on with the rest of our day.

   One of the things I've realized is that simple things like hot chocolate with a peppermint shake are meaningful to me. I've discovered that the things that make me happy are simple things: a text from a friend, a cat purring on my lap, a cup of tea and a good book on a cold day. I'm glad that I can find joy in simple things.