As I write this, it’s July 11…7-11.
That takes me back to Euless, Texas.
Euless is suburb of Fort Worth, it’s a cool little town where we lived for a few years.
We lived near a 7-Eleven.
That became part of an awesome afternoon ritual.
My daughter, Delanie, was in kindergarten.
I had a very cool boss who would let me go pick her up after school. I would wait in the congested pickup line with a bunch of soccer moms and Delanie would come out chugging her powerpuff girls backpack. She would climb up into the cab of my red Toyota truck. We would crank up some country music (99.5 the WOLF!) and we would head to 7-Eleven. We would go inside and get a couple of red slurpees, sometimes we would also get a bag of Cheetos or some Sour patch kids, depending on how the day had gone.
But, we ALWAYS got a slurpee…everyday.
This became our thing.
When other Dads were climbing corporate ladders, changing the world, and doing grownup alpha male things, I was sitting in a truck drinking slurpees with my kid. We talked about important matters like what happened in the lunchroom and on the playground.
I got to be honest, there were times when I THOUGHT I didn’t have time to pick up my kid. I had important things to do and a world to change, I didn’t realize that I was changing the world that mattered the most to me.
There were times when I blew it, Del would spill her slurpee all over the dashboard creating a red sticky mess. My resentment would bubble up, I would yell, her tears would flow. I would feel like a father failure.
This usually resulted in another trip inside to get a replacement slurpee to calm her nerves and ease my conscience. During these times, She was smart enough to ask for the special twisty plastic straws.
Slurpees became both a love language and a happy place for Delanie.
Sometime, something incredibly simple like a Slurpee can become a strong part of your story.
NOW, 15 years later, I wouldn’t trade ANYthing for those daily slurpee trips! You can keep your corporate contests, I had sugar fueled conversations with my kid, THAT is a win. Something strong and valuable was forged over frozen beverages. I think my daughter realized that I prioritized and valued her. She discovered that I found her incredibly interesting. Every kid needs to be interesting to someone. And even though, she is all growed up and married now, I still have an amazing relationship with her. She is STILL one of the most interesting people I know.
Some of the best memories are the cheapest. We made some sweet stories for the price of a red slurpee.
They were extraordinary stories that grew out of ordinary life.
My 7-Eleven memories are sticky, kinda like a spilt slurpee on a polyurethane dashboard!!
The sticky memories are the ones that stay with you for a lifetime, AND they get sweeter.
My fatherly advice: Slow down Dad and snag a slurpee with your kid every time you get a chance.
carbonated joy 