The sound of soda

Tue, 14 Sep 1999 16:00:00 +0000

It could've been a "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" cup. But tonight my 9-year-old put his left ear to the gallon-size "Star Wars" cup and listened to the magic of Dr. Pepper. He said, "It makes a beautiful, sparkling sound." I'm a single mother too tired to argue, too tired to say that I once bought only the expensive baby juices with no additives and am now reduced to expediency: If it's liquid and nontoxic, it's consumable. Go for it. I watched his careful concentration as the straw grazed his earlobe and I contemplated how I'm going to pay both this month's car insurance and the orthodontist bill. Then I leaned in. We both listened to the bubbling effervescence and meditated.

Why not meditate to soda bubbles? We live in San Diego, where we boogie-board in the Pacific until December; wash our cars as often as our babies in holy, recycled water; worship cosmetic surgery; and close our eyes to the downer of homeless children. In San Diego, convertibles are religion. Ours is a culture looking for its mojo.

This week my son, Adam, and I look for something else. We will go to temple for Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year. We will remember the beginning of creation, when God gave us breath ... between my kick-boxing classes and Adam's baseball practice, that is. We will repent, analyze where we went wrong and pray for forgiveness.

Salon.com > Barbara Field

The sound of soda