It’s the Chocolate Chips in Life

“It has chocolate chips in it, Mom.”

It’s those details that you never miss. The telling me about something, when at one time he couldn’t. I used to ask questions I knew he could answer. Because if he didn’t think he could, he’d shut down and I’d get nothing.

When Wil used to eat a chocolate donut – this is no joke – he’d mumble, “mmmmmmm” the whole time! I was like, that’s how you eat a chocolate donut! So my question of “Is that donut good?” was rhetorical but I would get an “Mmmhmm!” out of him.

Wil loves chocolate shakes. When he was younger, though I was the person who ordered the chocolate shake, when he was drinking it I’d ask, “What flavor is your shake?”

“Chocolate!”

Now he just tells me things. It may be sometimes later, well after the fact, but he’ll tell me things without my asking. The other day, well over a week after camp, he blurted out, “Walking tacos Mom!”

“Yes, you had walking tacos at camp. Those are so good! What were your favorite toppings?”

“Cheese, peppers, salsa…mmmm.” (His camp counselor said one of his favorite parts was the food!)

Last night he came home from the new ice cream place in town. As he walked in the door he said, “Want a taste?”

He held out his spoon. I took a bite and remarked on how good it tasted.

That’s when he offered, “It has chocolate chips in it, Mom.”

I suppose it could be said of such moments, “It’s the simple things in life.”. However, experiencing such moments built upon one another day-by-day and piece-by-piece, makes that saying much too rote.

If we do have to summarize such things, I’d much rather it be said, “It’s the chocolate chips in life.” Wil would give a big mmmmhmmm to that!