It seems that she was also always on a diet. She had reached the age where she had to keep up with her daily pills in an organizer, and the doctor had told her that she was not to eat too much of certain foods. It seemed that most of these foods were in the sweets category. Pies, cakes, pastries, etc.
We knew this, only because Aunt Doris shared it with us every time she had, “just a little taste” of any of these types of foods.
“Bryan cut me a little slice of that chocolate pie. Now don’t give me too much, Aunt Doris can’t have but a little taste.”
“Ya’ll let Aunt Doris squeeze in here and get some of this cobbler. Ya’ll know I can’t have too much, Aunt Doris is just going to get just a little taste.”
“Uh-uh, no, Aunt Doris can’t have any of that, you know it’s not good for me…well, just bring that back over here a minute. It won’t hurt Aunt Doris to get just a little taste.”
My brother and I joke about this all of the time because our memory tells us that every time Aunt Doris got “just a little taste”, she ended up eating the whole slice. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it makes for a good story.
Sometimes all we need is “just a little taste”. It’s much more powerful than we realize. When we are stuck in a rut, frustrated about the way things are going, or lacking the motivation to tackle that seemingly insurmountable obstacle in front of us, sometimes just a little taste will work wonders.
Aunt Doris was on to something.
Just a taste works in all sorts of different scenarios.
When you get into an argument with your spouse or your significant other, it is very easy to get to a dark place and feel like you are far apart, can’t communicate and they don’t understand you. You might feel like you don’t want to or can’t bring yourself to do anything for them, because you are so frustrated. But then, you either get or you give just a little. Maybe some flowers show up, or you get just a good, solid hug, right? You get a little reminder about what’s important. You remember how love feels.
And things open up a little bit. Maybe a lot.
It’s sort of like taking small steps, but it’s more experiential. More about feeling and less about checking off a box. Not how you feel, but getting that feel-ing.
Getting a little sweat, having a little experience, feeling a little joy. We need just a little taste.
Sometimes people talk about getting a small win, and it can be that. You could search for some easy or quick success to help get things moving. But it doesn’t even have to be a win. We don’t have to achieve to get a little taste.
We just need a little action. We need a little juice, just a drop sometimes, to let us know how it feels, remind us why it’s important, and help us move towards a bigger bite.
One of my desires is to make an impact on young people to help them learn how to live a life of purpose and on purpose. Many times, the answer to the question (which is only asked to me, by me), “What kind of impact?” is “More”. It’s not a good answer, but it’s an honest one.
I don’t know that my gifts lie in speaking in front of thousands of people and engaging young people on a large scale, but I do know that I want to make an impact in an area of need that I have seen firsthand.
I want people to read my writing and engage with my content and hire me for my framework, not so I can get some new fancy headshots and brag about where my next conference is. It’s because I feel compelled to do this work, it’s important, and I want to do it well enough to do it more often, and to help more people.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working with a small group of high school students. I have one group right now. This one.
For months (and I didn’t realize why until a few days ago), I’ve been running in place, a bit frustrated with the lack of growth in my business.
But now I’ve got a little taste, Aunt Doris style, and I’m reminded of how important this is to me, how important this is to the people I want to serve, and what opportunities might exist in the future. Butt in, “pardon me”, give yourself permission, for just a little taste.
I’m pulling for you, Bryan