The Ice Cream Truck

I have vivid memories of chasing down the ice cream truck as a kid.  I ran as hard as I could by foot, leading the pack of kids that followed me, in effort to get the ice cream truck to stop.  We lived in an urban neighborhood and spent most summer days playing outside near the street.  When we would hear the bells and music from the ice cream truck, all the kids would run inside their homes to gather change hoping to afford a popsickle, a Great American bullet or my favorite a Good Humor strawberry shortcake ice cream.   So why did the ice cream truck seldom stop for us? 

The reason is we were poor kids.  We couldn't really afford the ice cream we SO desired, but we would try our best to bargain with the driver anyway.  It must have been hilarious for the driver to be chased down by a mob of street kids.  We were hungry for the opportunity to get an ice cream, and we went full throttle after it.  

The truth is the driver was just passing through our neighborhood to get to the more affluent part of town where (I imagine) he would drive slowly as all the kids with their big green dollar billz would leisurely walk through their green grass to wait curbside while the driver served them the ice cream of their delight.  Can you hear a tinge of bitterness?

I must say, I don't regret the hard lessons I learned growing up in poverty. I learned some good lessons in "my chase".  I learned to run after the things I wanted.  I also learned to negotiate, and just ask my husband, I could negotiate Trump under the table with the skills I acquired as a child.

I am grateful for being hungry in life.  I see "desire" as a good thing which is why I could never embrace Buddism.  Buddists see desire as the enemy and root of suffering...I see it as a healthy motivating force that reveals truth.  We have dreams, hopes and desires stored away in our hearts.  We have to examine those things, embrace them, and be willing to fight for those of value.  If things are handed to you, without suffering, you would never develop grit or character.   You also wouldn't fully appreciate all you have received.

Ps.  One of these days, I am going to do the extraordinary.  I am going to rent an ice truck loaded with ice creams and pass them free of charge to the kids in impoverished neighborhoods.  I may make the kids run me down for old time's sake, but the free ice cream will make it well worth it!