Gum & Other Good Things

Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

She asked for a piece of gum.

I poured two from the “For Sharing” container into her open hand.

“Oh, I just need one,” she smiled.

I picked up one of the pieces and returned it to its container.

“One’s perfect,” she continued, popping the gum in her mouth, “I’m just chewing for fun. I only chew two if I need a refresher after a meal.”

Pause.

Pause.

“Are you saying that chewing a piece of gum is your idea of … fun?”

We looked at each other and laughed.

Because we both knew that on a busy day, filled with the obligatory responsibilities of adulthood, a piece of gum can indeed spark a jolt of joy.

We may define fun differently than we did in our twenties, but joy indeed abounds.

It is, after all, the little things.

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22