Friday, January 1, 2010
7:40 PM
Icee's
When I was three or four, a new kind of store opened up in our city. It was a handy stop-type store called Day 'n Night that stayed open 24/7. That was something we had never had before and so it was an exciting thing. For me, the most exciting part was not the extended and convenient hours, but the introduction of a brand new frozen drink called ICEE. I had never heard of ICEE's before our new store opened but the inviting red and blue display got my attention immediately the first time I saw it. Like snow cones, ICEE's were not just tasty frozen treats, they were "events". I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them! One sip and I was hooked. I couldn't get enough of them. Every time we drove close enough to Day 'n Night for me to see the big, fuzzy polar bear display out front, I was filled with excitement and I begged my mom to stop so I could get another. Like a lot of the things posted in my Growing Up Me series, ICEE's were another of those childhood things that filled me with some sort of magical joy. I don't have any idea why some seemingly insignificant things in my childhood had such a profoundly joyful effect upon me but they did and so it's fun to recall them because even after all these years, they still bring that special feeling to my heart.
ICEE's are no longer a new, sold-only-at-Day 'n Night kind of special treat. They've been around for more than 40 years now and they are sold in several different stores rather than just the one. So in some ways, I take them for granted and no longer feel the need to buy one every time I have the opportunity. Even so, when I pass by a display or one of the machines, I often think back to the time when getting an ICEE was a brand new, exciting experience while simultaneously wishing that the childlike perspective that made it such a big deal to "child Maddie" would pay an overdue visit to "adult Maddie". My preschool years were priceless and beautiful.