When you go into an ice cream parlor and you see more than twenty flavors in those big ice cream bins behind the glass, which flavor do you gravitate towards? The choice seems overwhelming and impossible.
Well, ever since I was a little girl, when I was asked what flavor of ice cream I wanted, I would choose vanilla. It seemed like my brother and sister, and most of the other children opted for chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip or some other extreme flavor. Hardly anyone ever selected just plain vanilla. I’m not sure why I did because in hind-sight to seems to be a pretty boring choice.
After some reflection on why I selected vanilla, it could be much more revealing to the person and leader I’ve become today.
In that vanilla may appear boring at first site, it is the foundation for many other flavors behind that glass window. It’s also fairly consistent, no matter when or where you get vanilla ice cream you can rely on it tasting pretty much the same. You can usually count on the fact that no matter where you go they will typically have vanilla ice cream available, making it one of the most dependable flavors.
Vanilla ice cream is often the foundation to many other very exciting specialty desserts. What would a hot fudge Sunday or a banana split be without vanilla ice cream? How about the famous ice cream cake or apple pie Ala mode? What would cherries jubilee or baked Alaska be without vanilla ice cream?
Vanilla ice cream is a very simple to make including only vanilla beans, cream and sugar. Also, it has been suggested that vanilla ice cream can lower stress and aggression and help people feel better. Vanilla ice cream can be complimented by sprinkles, syrups and pairings catering to a wide range of preferences.
So maybe my preference for vanilla ice cream is representative of my strong foundation, reliability, dependability, or consistency. Or maybe it represents my desire to keep things simple, and reduce others stress until it’s time to jazz things up with some special toppings.
So, is it time for you to embrace some simple, boring, plain vanilla for a change? What appears to be the uncomplicated, modest, and humble choice; in the end may actually represent an unpretentious, simple, pure leader.