Guilty Pleasures - Day 1

THE MEMORY:

Our family was very similar to  the "Everybody Loves Raymond" show. We were a tight nit Italian family who's personal business was always out in the open.  It was special, it was love, it was all we had.  After the passing of my Grandma Jackie, the DeLuca family consisted of my Father (Tony) my Mother (Angie) my Brother (Christian) my Uncle (Pete) and myself.  Small but very tight! Between joining the service, working his way up in the book industry and taking care of his ill mother, my Uncle never had the time to create a family of his own.  We were his family, Christian and I were his kids.  Without a doubt, Peter played many roles in our lives.  Uncle, Friend, Teacher, Comedian and on some occasions, Santa Claus!  All of which came from one man and one man only.  Peter DeLuca.

In Pete's last few years of his life, we had the opportunity to live with him day in and day out.  The fun would usually happen at night!  Sometimes we would catch him tip toe downstairs in his flannel pj's and slippers.  He would sneak around the corner closest to the fridge.   A light would shine from the kitchen and then we heard the famous "Schhhhhhhh" sound.  Ya know, the sound a can of whip cream makes when you squirt it on top of your ice cream.  Yup, Pete had a sweet tooth like no other!

What was weird about the whole thing was we never saw him leave to his room with anything.  No spoon, no bowl, no ice cream!  Come to find out his late night guilty pleasure was that of tilting his head back and over flowing his mouth with whipped cream!!!!!  As he would call it "Whipp-id Cream"  I never understood it until today.  That memory stuck with me for a long time.  It was the first time I had witnessed whip cream enjoyed from can to mouth! YUCK!

THE APPLICATION:

Today, while I was putting away my leftovers, the bottle of Redi-Whip caught my eye.  I immediately knew what my first blog would be about!  As I reached for the can, I closed my eyes and shouted out "This one's for you!"  I happily tilted my head back, pressed the tip of the can and over filled my mouth with whipped sweetness.  A tear rolled down my cheek at the same time I leaked out a giggle.  Flashes of Uncle Pete trying to be coy and sneak to the kitchen as an adult seemed funny to me.  If he did that today, I would join him in a heartbeat.  I have to admit, a mouthful of whipped cream was yummy and gross all at the same time.  I felt like a kid again doing something I was always told NOT to do, only this time there was no one scolding, I wasn't afraid and it was totally awesome!  A moment of pure independence and over indulgence all contained in a $3 can of whipped goodness.

THE REFLECTION:

Today, enjoy a guilty pleasure for what it's worth.  If it's a sweet one, DON'T feel the need to head to the treadmill right away.  It wouldn't be a GUILTY pleasure if u immediately burned it all off!!!  Pin point what your guilty pleasure is, enjoy it and be proud that it's yours!