All Things Bruce Eric

From the mouths of babes comes great wisdom.

I had the opportunity to come home for lunch one day this week and enjoyed a sandwich, some grapes and some potato chips at our kitchen counter with my wife and my two precious children. My son just got out of school last week and my daughter won’t start school until this fall so she was already home for the summer. While it was very enjoyable, my kids made to very innocent, yet provocative statements that will ring in my mind for a long time. My son commented that the mac ‘n cheese he and his sister were eating was ‘bouncier’ than normal and that the orange color of it probably glowed in the dark.

You see, my wife and I have long had a debate on how to cook certain types of food, I like my pasta al dente, she prefers mush. Green beans? Same story — just a waft of hot steam and they’re done in my book. My wife — low and slow with a ham hock in for good measure. You see, my wife is from the south (for a northerner like me, Indianapolis IS the south).

The other observation came from my daughter and demonstrated just how simple a child’s needs or desires can be. She sat in front of a open bag of potato chips and couldn’t have been more content or happier. “There’s nothing better in life than an open bag of potato chips” she seemed to be saying.

It made me realize just how complicated we adults can make life. Jobs that seem more important than they really are. Deadlines that never stop. Bills that indicate how one lives beyond their means. Relationships that show just how sinful we are. Governments that show the same. E-mail that needs to be answered. Phone calls - are they really more important than who’s sitting right in front of you?

So, the next time you’re stressed out about something, think about the open bag of potato chips and just how simple your life really could be.

Tonight we had the pleasure of having dinner with my mom and dad one final time before Joshua and I leave for Monterrey. They will be heading back north on Monday after spending four weeks here in Georgetown following my dad’s knee replacement surgery. We’ve enjoyed having them here and this morning I went to their rental home to work on their computer and I was able to sit with them while they had breakfast. It felt like we lived in the same community and I just happened to be nearby so I stopped by. Anita and I feel bad that we’ve been so busy while they’ve been here and we’ve not been able to spend as much time with them as we would have liked. And yet, it seems as though that’s what happens are you kids get older. When they came, Joshua was just finishing up basketball. Last week both Christina and Joshua started soccer and now have games every weekend. Fortunately, my parents were able to see both kids in their respective sports before they leave.Good-bye mom and dad. I love you and thank you for all you’ve done for us.BEA