The Ledger

By Becky Holland

I got addicted to Dirty Dr Peppers this summer.

Not addicted in the medical sense. Addicted in the “McDonald’s probably recognizes my voice at the speaker” sense.

The funny thing is, at first I didn’t even know what a Dirty Dr Pepper was. For most of my life, putting the word “dirty” in front of a drink meant one thing: alcohol.

So when I started seeing Dirty Dr Pepper advertised at places like Taco Bell and McDonald’s, I was confused.

Surely we had not reached the point where the drive-thru was serving cocktails with Happy Meals.

Then they made one for me.

Oh.

Oh, my.

Dr Pepper already claims 23 flavors. Add cream to those 23 flavors, and apparently you get happiness in a plastic cup.

I don’t even order food most of the time. Sometimes I just want the drink.

There is something about that first sip. Cold Dr Pepper, creamy sweetness, ice rattling in the cup.

Take a sip.

Give me life.

Does it solve anything? No.

Does it make the world a better place? Probably not.

But for 30 minutes — or however long that taste hangs around — it makes my little corner of the world feel awfully nice.

I think we all have things like that.

A favorite song that comes on when we need it.

A book we have read so many times the characters feel like old friends.

A blanket we pull over ourselves at the end of a long day.

A cup of coffee on a quiet morning.

Little things that do not change our circumstances but somehow change the moment.

Maybe that is why I love my Dirty Dr Pepper.

And maybe my favorite part is sharing a sip with my 91-year-old mother.

She tries it, pauses and says, “Ooh. That’s different.”

Then she smiles.

Apparently it is a good different.

There are plenty of big things in life. Big worries. Big decisions. Big grief. Big responsibilities.

But maybe we underestimate the small joys.

Sometimes happiness is not a grand event.

Sometimes it is 23 flavors, a splash of cream and a 91-year-old woman smiling because she just tasted something different.

And sometimes, that is enough to give you a little life.