Flavors of Fun

By Pam Kumpe

A trip out of town almost cost me some ice cream.  It all started in the parking lot at the building where I’d planned to speak. I’d loaded my dolly with my two-foot plastic ice cream cone, a plastic oversized cone. Asked to speak on writing humor, I planned to share some flavors of fun with the class that afternoon.

See, I’ve taught Kids Super Church for nearly 20 years and I only know of one way to teach and share stories; it’s with objects, toys and chocolate.  Anyway, I stacked some of my books on a dolly, along with the candy, the ice cream cone, my Bible, my camera, and my notes. I tossed my purse onto my shoulder and since the weather was breezy, those gusts whipped around that sky scraper like Santa Ana winds.

My top-heavy dolly wobbled and the wheels hit the curb. Everything crashed into a pile on the ground and my ice cream cone rolled off in one direction while my books scattered on the asphalt.

I chased my notes and retrieved my ice cream cone, right before it rolled into someone’s car. I gathered my thoughts, restacked the dolly, brushed my hair back and acted like nothing had happened.

All of a sudden, I remembered my parking instructions from the e-mail. Be sure to drive around to the front of the building. You’ll think you’re at the entrance, but the main door faces the highway. The employee entrance is in the back, and that door is locked.
Sighing, I pushed the dolly back to the car, opened the trunk and tossed all of my items back inside. The ice cream cone slipped from my grasp and bounced through the parking lot again.

A woman walked by with a sack lunch in her hand and said, “Seems like you have a little problem there.”

I answered with a squeal, “Yes. Yes. The wind seems to keep tossing my things around.” I was confident she’d offer assistance, only she disappeared inside, right through that employee entrance.

After I chased down the cone, I tossed it into the seat next to me and buckled it in. I drove around to the front of the building and checked the time, noticing the minutes were ticking away.

Standing behind my car next to my restacked dolly, I noticed my left hand and my wedding ring was gone.

I must have dropped it during those ice cream cone chases, so I threw all my items back into the car in no particular order and drove back to the employee parking lot.
Shining like a star I saw my ring on the black pavement. It was safe and intact.
Back in front, I hopped from the car. And I would have cried, but I was actually entertained by all of my mishaps and missed steps.

To think, I’d chased an ice cream cone through a parking lot more than once in the last ten minutes!

The first session of my “how to write humor” class was in full swing, only the class started outside in the parking lot, and I was the main attraction.
Finally, I asked if any of the attendees had noticed me from their office windows. I told them they’d missed a live version of Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett and Bozo the Clown; all wrapped into one person, in one moment of time.

I had delivered hyper-scattered fun and offered them this blonde’s version of a crazy agenda.

So what’s on your agenda? Just a bunch of lists? Are you too busy to have fun? Wish for a break from the mundane? Is life blowing by and you’re simply going through the motions? Or are you chasing after things with no clear direction?

If so, spend some time with the joy-giver, Christ himself. Expect His breeze to brush through your day as He adds flavor to your experiences.

It says in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Those words are inviting and make me appreciate the windy days, the chasing of great experiences and the idea of living a life with joy and fun.

So if you have some spare time, look out the window today because you never know when spontaneous fun moments may unfold right before your eyes! And it could all begin with a two-foot plastic ice cream cone! I should know.

Pam Kumpe is an inspirational newspaper columnist for the Bowie County Life/ Texarkana Gazette in East Texas. She hosts a podcast “Daybreak Devotionals” and has taught Kids Super Church for 20 years and is the author of “See You in the Funny Papers,” – A Bit of Good News, and a co-host on KLBW 1530 AM Christian Radio. For more about Pam go to www.pamkumpe.com