My life as a milkshake…

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Sue Vincent

Image: Pixabay

As the title of a post, I don’t suppose it is all that bad, but as the lingering remnant of a significant dream, I admit, it seemed a bit odd, even to me. But that was the phrase that awoke me this morning, and wandered around my head fully developed and with what appeared to be a perfectly logical idea behind it. Trying to hang on to that idea through rush-hour traffic, the day’s work and all the usual humdrum hassle proved a little difficult.

The trouble is, that once these things are planted in your mind, they are akin to earworms that keep on nagging at your attention. The only way to exorcise them is to explore them.

The one thing I remember with absolute clarity is that ‘my life as a milkshake’ was to be the title of a blog post. So I sit down to write… without the slightest idea of what I am supposed to be writing and no recollection at all of this ‘brilliant analogy’ that had been dumped into my sleeping consciousness.

The only thing I can do is explore the image suggested by the title, in much the same way as we deconstruct myths, legends and symbols to dscern their inner meaning… and hope that some modicum of sense can be made of it.

For a start, the image with which I awoke was not some deliciously fresh-fruited beverage but a plain, common-or-garden strawberry milkshake… made with simple ingredients and plain, frothy milk. With a straw. I was glad it was strawberry though… they are my favourite.

So, ‘my life as a milkshake’ must begin in simplicity, with the most basic ingredients. We are of the stuff of earth, after all, nothing special, nothing exclusive… though life as we know it may well have begun in the stars. Milk is the first nourishment of mammalian life, the simplest, most perfect aliment for a newborn child. And our galaxy, the one that contains our own solar system, is the Milky Way. As we raise our eyes to the heavens seeking their light, both physically and spiritually, that works too. Looked at symbolically, the milk alone contains images of both earthly life and its spiritual counterpart.

But you cannot serve a milkshake without a glass… a transparent vessel designed solely to contain and give shape to what is placed within it. So far so good… the physical body as the glass, holding the life of earth and beyond…

Milk, on its own, is fairly bland…a culinary blank canvas. Life without experience, good or bad, would be the same.  A shake is always flavoured…with any one or a combination of fruits, cordials, chocalates…or, well, just about anything. There seems to be an infinite variety when you start looking and, just to make them even more unique, you can use different types of milk, add ice or ice-cream, cream and marshmallows… and every one will be different. No two will contain exactly the same amounts of everything, or be the same temperature, or be shaken quite the same. There are endless possibilities and variations… yet they are all milkshakes.

Rather like people.

The same could be said of the types of ingredient too… some are natural and healthy…good for you… whilst others are crammed with synthetics and are so processed that they seem very far from nature and could be pretty unhealthy in the long run.  Sometimes it is hard to tell which is which and those that promise the best experience may be the worst for you. Just as people and events may turn out to have a deeper value than the experience suggests… or more superficial and shallow than they at first appear to be.

If you leave a milkshake standing for long enough, the ingredients begin to separate. First, the froth will go, leaving the drink flat and uninteresting. Sugars may fall to the bottom and crystallise, robbing the drink of its sweetness. Leave a shake untasted for even longer and the milk may curdle, rendering it undrinkable and it will be wasted. Some things have to be drunk when fresh, or the ‘best bits’ will remain untasted in the empty glass, or worse… the delights the glass held will never be enjoyed at all. We can wait too long to drink the cup we are given… or leave it too long for health or joy.

The best bit of a milkshake, though, is the last… the bit that is slurped with abandon… noisily, joyously, unselfconsciously through a straw. No matter how old you are, you are always a child when you do that. Milkshakes, regardless of your current age, are a child’s drink and memories will always come back and their images arise in your mind, joining both ends of life with an unbroken thread.

I could go on, but I think that justifies life as a milkshake well enough. Except for one small point… if I am a milkshake, who is the drinker of my life? Perhaps the inner child, the soul-child, is on the other end of the straw, drinking in the experiences that are held in my glass. When we reach the final dregs, I hope there is mischief enough left for a loud slurp.

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue  passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.
This entry was posted in The Silent Eye, Spirituality, Life, symbolism and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

64 Responses to My life as a milkshake…

  1. Richard Ankers says:
    August 30, 2017 at 06:59

    You’ve given me a lot to think about. 🤔😳

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Miriam Hurdle says:
    August 30, 2017 at 07:09

    I enjoy the happy thoughts and illustrations throughout! Most of all, I like the loud slurp!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. Mr. Militant Negro says:
    August 30, 2017 at 07:12

    Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Ritu says:
    August 30, 2017 at 07:25

    I don’t think I’ll look at a milkshake the same again Sue!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler) says:
    August 30, 2017 at 07:31

    An interesting and thought-provoking post. I never thought of a milkshake like that before, but it all made sense.

    Also, now I want a milkshake. I’m good with strawberry, though banana is my favourite.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  6. The Satyr says:
    August 30, 2017 at 07:42

    Gosh, my little mind hurts now. I’m sure that should be a poster on a student’s wall somewhere. Right next to Monty Pythons the meaning of life. Come to think of it, they missed a trick there…Love it.x

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  7. robbiesinspiration says:
    August 30, 2017 at 07:48

    A lovely analogy, Sue. You are quite right that life needs to be lived and not set aside for later.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. Penny Lane Writes says:
    August 30, 2017 at 08:25

    I like this Sue. I know sometimes I will get just a couple of words or a phrase and that’s my inspiration for my post. Well done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. jenanita01 says:
    August 30, 2017 at 09:43

    The meaning of Life in a milkshake… brilliantly described and deconstructed!

    Like

    Reply
  11. Judy E Martin says:
    August 30, 2017 at 10:47

    I love this, Sue! Only you could write about your life as a milkshake in such a way that it makes perfect sense!
    I am a chocolate and icecream kind of shake, totally over-indulgent!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  12. Mary Smith says:
    August 30, 2017 at 12:28

    Great, Sue. And, yes, don’t we all enjoy that final slurpy bit at the end! I’m glad I’m not the only person to wake to snatches of conversations which have been going on in my brain while I’m asleep. I’d really love to be able to eavesdrop and not just catch the final snippet.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  13. First Night Design says:
    August 30, 2017 at 13:42

    Food for thought or should I say drink? I think you should copyright the phrase – I see it as the title of a marvellous, award-winning independent film!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. D. Wallace Peach says:
    August 30, 2017 at 15:48

    What an interesting thought to wake up with, contemplate all day, and write about. I hope you got to slurp a little today. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  15. Marilyn Armstrong says:
    August 30, 2017 at 17:18

    That is WAY too complicated for me! It’s the old “butterfly” vs. “reality” dream again. By the way, I am absolutely convinced that when the tree falls in the forest, whether of not anyone or anything is around to hear the sound, it STILL makes noise.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC says:
    August 30, 2017 at 18:25

    Ah yes, the slurper is our higher selves. Of COURSE. Great metaphors in this post, Sue. And now I’m off to make a coffee shake — really more of a adult slushie, since I use a ton of ice vs. ice cream, coconut oil and just a dash of vanilla or brandy flavoring. Cold caffeine for me today.

    I have a milkshake-sized thermos/mug (with a straw!) that keeps things cold for 8 hours. To add to your metaphors, when the “container” is protective and carefully maintained the “contents” remain in good shape many times longer.
    xx,
    mgh
    (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
    ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
    “It takes a village to transform a world!”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  18. dgkaye says:
    August 31, 2017 at 02:24

    Great post Sue. Now I want a milkshake, lol. 🙂 xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. Pingback: My life as a milkshake… — Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo | By the Mighty Mumford

  20. Erik says:
    August 31, 2017 at 21:46

    I love that this came from a dream, and that despite not being able to recall exactly what the dream was about, you pursued it to a delicious ending anyway.

    You know me: I’m all for the idea of adults not only remembering but indulging our child-selves right the way through to the last slurp. As I say often, there is a world of difference between being childish and being child-like.

    Like

    Reply
  21. noelleg44 says:
    September 5, 2017 at 02:28

    You start as the milk, and your life experiences make you the shake!

    Like

    Reply
  22. ortensia72 says:
    September 9, 2017 at 17:15

    Will never forget to slurp again😊

    Like

    Reply

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