The Ice Cream Truth @Solsticepublish

There are certain universal truths known to mankind. Most of them you have heard before like, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion” or “You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs”. Other truths are lesser known but just as correct. For example, “When someone else yawns around you, it makes you very likely to also yawn.” I don’t know why that is true but it is. Before writing this I was talking to my youngest daughter about such things and she said, “Don’t forget the most important one. When people get angry, ice cream makes them feel better.” At first I ignored the notion but then reconsidered. She just might have something there. When my son was little and my wife would come home from work she was usually angry. She did not particularly like her job and it was a great source of stress in her life. As she changed clothes, my son would put “Dirty Dancing” in the VCR and scoop a big mound of ice cream for her. If it was an unusually bad day he would break out the fudge topping and scoop it on to hold his creation together. Other times he would cut a banana in half and then put on the ice cream and fudge (only in extreme emergencies!). Once my wife entered the living room the movie had started and my son would rush forward holding the dessert over his head and forward like he was making a sacred sacrifice to a pagan god. My wife was always pleased with the gift and would watch the movie in bliss so that she could see that “Nobody puts Baby in the corner!” It worked every time. My son taught his sisters and they carried on the tradition. There is something about ice cream that simply puts you in a better mood. Have you ever had a bad day and then stopped at Dairy Queen or another ice cream emporium and felt better by the time you left? It is a universal truth that works on all but those who are lactose intolerant. I have no scientific data to back this up, mind you, but my empirical observations tell me the theory is correct. Perhaps there is a chemical reaction that takes place with the ice cream? Maybe it brings back memories of younger days when stress was not so intense. Whatever the reason, I don’t argue with the results. So next time someone you love is in a bad mood, fetch them a bowl of their favorite ice cream. After all, it can’t hurt.