Pop Prankster

My stomach is like an alarm clock for meals.  As soon as there is even the slightest bit of hunger, my stomach growls like a caged lion.  One day, with my stomach announcing it was lunch time, I was scouring the kitchen looking for a quick meal and found little food in the fridge or pantry that could be made quick enough to sate my appetite.  I hinted to my husband that today we should go out for lunch, and he agreed.   

Once in the drive-thru, a major decision presented itself to us.  For our New Year's resolution, I suggested we cut back on drinking pop and allowing ourselves to splurge for a pop when we go out to eat.  My husband made the addition that it had to be a sit down meal only, as to remove the option to have pop if we splurged on fast food in the drive-thru; exactly like the situation we were in now.    

My husband and I were arguing whether to keep our resolution while we waited for our turn to drive up and order.  Now usually, I am pretty strong when it comes to resolutions, but it had been about 6 weeks since I had any of my favorite drink, and that combined with my ravenous hunger, forced me to say a little louder and angrier than I intended, "Just THIS time!"  My tone indicated that this was not a suggestion.  Begrudgingly, my husband ordered our meals in the combos so that I could have my pop. 

Soon we were back home, seated with our hot food in front of us, begging us to consume it.  We turned on a favorite Netflix show while we ate, which I was grateful for, because we could keep eating and not feel obliged to talk. A few minutes later the food was in our stomachs, and I got up to take our dishes to the sink.  I was happy to still have about a third of my pop left and I was looking forward to drinking the rest as dessert!

While washing the dishes, my husband asked, "So Natalie...how was it... and was it everything you hoped it would be?"

Excitedly I replied,"It was delicious!  It is amazing how going without it makes it taste so much better.  It also wasn't flat or watered down which happens sometimes when you get a fountain drink.  I loved it!"  

When I was done broadcasting my excitement about my drink, I heard my husband laughing.  I walked back over to where he was seated and saw that he had a huge smile on his face.   He was holding the cup I had been drinking out of with the lid and straw off revealing the liquid contents.  He had sneaked a pop exchange when I used the bathroom when we first got home with our food, and for the entire meal I had been drinking his favorite soda and not mine.  How had I not even noticed-especially since our favorites are very different in color and flavor?!  Through uncontrolled laughter, he teased me by reminding me of some negative comments I had made in the past about his favorite, which now were obsolete based on my answers to his previous question.  I soon lost my composure and joined him in his loud bursts of laughter.

This experience was a great lesson in perception.  My perception was that I was drinking my favorite pop, and I thought it was delicious and well...better than it had been.  The truth is, without this experience, I would have gone on thinking those negative thoughts about my husband's favorite soda and probably would never have tasted it again.  I found out through this switcheroo, that not only do I like his pop; it was also delicious!

Having this experience made me think about my life and the way I perceive it. I wondered what kind of experiences I have been missing out on because of my perceptions. Not only am I still going to continue to try keeping my New Year's pop resolution, but I am tacking on challenging my negative perceptions as well.  

Have you had a "pop prankster" experience in your life that challenged or changed your perceptions?