Is your world like a Giapo Store?
Do you remember as a child standing in an ice-cream store and looking at all the different flavours to choose from? I don’t need to think back that far as I frequent (and not nearly enough) a small boutique gelato shop in the bustling city centre on Queen Street called Giapo. If you have already had one of Gianpolo’s creations you have already started to think about your amazing experience in the store (I bet).
Gianpolo, the owner of Giapo, has made gelato an art form, from presentation to taste, and it is truly an experience. An experience that I believe everyone in the Auckland region, hell everyone in New Zealand, no, no everyone in the world needs to experience.
Giapo is a destination.
I can see myself standing at the counter looking at all the flavours. I never know what to choose, cookies and cream, dark chocolate, pistachio, oh and the list goes on!
But what is great about Gianpolo’s store is they let you taste the flavours. So you can stand there and let your taste buds do the choosing. I am one of those people who wants to choose them all, the flavours are ALL so good. I can never just pick one.
I have been thinking a lot about this – Imagine Giapo is our world and we stand at the counter and pick a few flavours. Some of us stand at the counter and pick VANILLA! (The tried and true “safe” option.)
I’m not a fan of Vanilla. A flavour you won’t find in Gianpolo’s store (I’m guessing). Why don’t I like it? Maybe it is the fact that it is just too plain. I want the adventure of flavours hitting my taste buds. That eye rolling back, sigh of “Oh this is Good!”
Do you remember as a teenager everyone asking, “What do you want to do with your life?” Remember that pressure of having to know what you want to do? But how could we pick when we hadn’t tried all the flavours?
We may have had two or three options but was that enough? Why do we put pressure on kids to choose life plans? How are they going to know what they like and don’t like? Already they are in school, forced to do subjects they probably don’t like. Then as parents we expect them to know what they want to be and do.
I know the pressures I went through with my parents. They wanted me to be a nurse because I am a “people person”. UGH. Well after three years of failing all those subjects, it became obvious that I didn’t want to be a nurse. Furthermore, all that failing gave me a pretty doom and gloom outlook on my life. I felt like I was good at nothing.
I remember running on the school field with one of my friends (or most probably walking) and we were talking about life and what we were going to do. I don’t remember exactly what we were saying but my friend Misty burst out saying, “At least you are good at one thing Pauline. I’m good at nothing! What am I going to do?” She was referring to my only subject I was good at, art.
This is one conversation that sticks with me to this day because I thought Misty was great at everything. And, while Misty thought she wasn’t good at anything, her grades at school didn’t define her. She went on to get a photography degree and is now an amazing photographer who I admire so much. This gave me a lot of valuable insight. Our grades at school don’t define us. Hell, I went to school to eat my lunch and look at me now – Lunch maker exordiniare I am not! 🙂
The pressure our parents put on us and the pressure we put on ourselves, is it necessary? Do our teens need all the answers? NO.
This lesson has stuck with me and I have taught my daughter that she can do what ever she wants to do, as long as she loves it, and works hard to achieve her goals. Nothing comes on a silver platter. You will get everything you need as long as you work hard.
She doesn’t know what she wants to do. She wants to do so many things, which I find so liberating. I want her to try EVERYTHING. Live and enjoy everything you do.
Isn’t this the new way of living? Try before you buy. Experience as much as you can and truly find yourself because no one achieves his or her dreams by staying at home and being “safe”.
Start standing in your personal Giapo store and look at all the flavours. Try them all and find out what you love. It is never too late. There is no sign on the door saying you cannot enter.
