Slice of Life: Make Lemonade 9 of 31

Here we go!  It's time for the March Slice of Life Challenge hosted at Two Writing Teachers.  It will be a busy month of writing, commenting, and learning with this community.  This year I've decided to try to focus my writing around happiness.  Stop by today's link up to join the conversation or find some great reading. 

Maybe it was the warmer temperatures.  Maybe it was the sunshine.  Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't had a soda for nearly three months, but today I found happiness.

Let me explain.

For some time, my daughter worked to get me to quit drinking diet pop.  She preached about the problems with drinking so much diet.  "The artificial sweeteners aren't good for you," she said.  Every time I poured a drink of diet soda, she had another reason I shouldn't be drinking it.  I knew she was right, but every one needs a vise or two and I was quite sure there were worse habits I could have.

One day I poured the fizzy brown liquid over some crushed ice in my favorite glass, and she started lecturing me again.  "I'll tell you what," I retorted, "if you get a 3.75 in your first semester of college, I will quit."  I'm not really one to give grade rewards or make bets, but it seemed like a way to put this to rest for a bit.  It came out of my mouth before I could really think about it, but she was ready to take that challenge.  

Summer came and went.  We packed Cassie up and took her to college.  Weeks passed.  The first months of college were going well, and I knew it was looking like I might have to hold up my end of the bargain.  As grades came in it appeared I was going to lose.  Being the sport she is, she gave me through the holidays to enjoy the tasty beverage.  

The holidays came and went.  The calendar turned to a new year, and it was time to make some new changes.  With the last Diet Pepsi gone from the refrigerator, I stepped up to the challenge.  Water it would be.  If I was going to make this change, I really didn't want to replace Diet Pepsi with a new habit.    

The first two weeks were rough.  I drank water with lemon, water with raspberries, water with cucumber, water with strawberries, but I really wanted a diet soda.  This was going to be tough.  A few weeks into the switch I swung by to pick up dinner in a rush on my way home.  I hadn't had a pop in a few weeks, so I thought why not give one a try.  I have never been one to completely give up something.  "Everything in moderation, nothing in excess," my grandma always preached.

I placed our order and moved toward the pickup window.  After paying for our meals, the diet soda was passed through the window.  It was just the way I liked it, poured on crushed ice.  It felt good to hold the cup in my hand.  It had been too long.  We were together again.   Me and Diet Pepsi.  Diet Pepsi and Me.  Quickly I tore the paper off the straw and put it into the cup.  Without hesitation I took one sip, and nearly spit it out. It didn't taste good anymore.  How could this be?  

Months have passed since I gave up diet soda, and there are still times I miss it.  I miss it with pizza, when friends run out to grab lunch, when I get home at the end of the day, with chips, but most of all I miss it when I go through a drive through.  

Today the sun was shining and it felt like spring when I went to pick up lunch. Oh, I really wanted a Diet Pepsi.  That's when I saw the lemonade on the sign.

Maybe it was the warmer temperatures.  Maybe it was the sunshine.  Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't a soda for nearly three months, but today that lemonade was exactly what I needed.  It didn't have the fizz of a Diet Pepsi, but it was on crushed ice, just the way I like it.  Who knew happiness could be found in a lemonade?