A Story Of Some Possible Intrerest
In continuation of our discussion on imagination, I was reminded of this story:
There once was a guy. We’ll call him, I don’t know… Archimedes. He was at a child’s birthday party one day. Archimedes was a grown up, but he was at the party for some reason. Let’s say because he is family. It’s not important. At this party, there were bubbles because kids love bubbles. And lots of bubble solution. And plastic cups. And plastic straws. Archimedes remembered something from his distant past:1. You pour a little bubble solution into a cup.2. Then you use a straw to blow into said solution.
Result: massive foam, whose massiveness was only outsized by massive fun. Bubble beards. Bubble coifs. Bubble clouds. And, as children make outrageous stretches with their outrageous thought processes, a bubble castle that, to the more inelastic imaginations of grownups like Archimedes, looked like an amorphous pile of foam on the lawn. Why the castle? So bombers can sprinkle sand on it and watch the castle explode. That’s why. Sometimes you build so you can destroy.
As the children in the post-toddler cohort did this, a toddling girl watched from a distance, looking like she wanted in on that. Badly. Archimedes saw her. And handed the now smiling toddling girl a cup ‘n solution set up. Why? Depending on who you ask, because he doesn’t think. But don’t worry. Before straw could come to mouth, the other grownups, let’s give them a representative and call this person Everyman, shut that down. “SHE’S TOO YOUNG,” said Everyman. “SHE’LL DRINK IT,” Everyman educated. Smart Everyman. Stupid Archimedes, depending on who you ask. Shameful Archimedes, didn’t think it through, did you? Well that is a problem but that’s no problem because problems have solutions, thought Archimedes. “She looks pretty smart to me. Why don’t we start with water in place of the bubble solution and see if she grasps the concept of blowing into the straw?” Queried Archimedes. “NO,” said Everyman.
The older kids played on. The toddling girl spectated. The older kids eventually moved on to other activities. So did the toddling girl. And an adequately good time was had by most.
Jae-Ho
All I’m doing is laughing quietly to myself, and tearing up a little.
Laughter and tears. Then my work here is done.
Thanks for letting me try my hand at some nonfiction. I meant fiction.
It’s good to approach ideas from multiple angles. Written words is one angle I had never put high on the list.
This is still very, very funny. And sad, as the funniest things are.
Just read this again because a coworker’s girlfriend is headed to her niece’s one-year birthday party, and he’s not going.
Still classic.
The one year birthday is a tough one. Everyone is about one (ie. on auto pilot or comatose) or way older than one (ie. on auto pilot or comatose). Tell your co-worker to hang in there. A couple more years and there will be some people at the little guy’s birthday party in the cohort sweet spot. And tell him he’s in Jae-Ho’s mind and prayers. Stay strong, brother, it only gets better.