Old-dog, New-tricks!

That's not what those are for!

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Our 15 year old son is a boy of many talents. Not only does he participate in Shotokan Karate, Jiu Jitsu and Krav Maga, but he’s also an absolute wizard in the kitchen creating simple and delicious meals. From very-cheesy quesadillas to corned beef hash with eggs and cheese to just about any meat in the air-fryer. He’s also teaching himself to appreciate hot sauce. Yummy! 👍🏻

I’m a purist. If there is a screw that needs tightened - I grab the proper screwdriver and tighten it. Only if I am in dire circumstances (and I mean dire) can I use the almost-screwdrivers that are built into my Swiss Army Knife. Consider it a real emergency at that point! This is but one example out of the countless available that depicts the OCD traits I battle with, from having to use the same pen or pencil I began with in a notebook to utilizing a particular bottle depending on what I’m drinking. If by now you are feeling deeply sorry for my wife, I don’t blame you! It’s bad enough that I can bother even myself at times, but that’s just me. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 😫

That leads us to the featured picture for this blog. At lunchtime my son made some of his very-cheesy quesadillas, and since he’s the ‘best brother ever’ he always fashions one for his little sisters to share. Considering the level of OCD I confessed to you earlier, it’s easy to image my absolute disbelief and horror when I turned the kitchen corner thanking him for his generosity when I saw him using kitchen shears to cut up the quesadilla masterpieces. “Scissors to cut food?” I asked. “We have knives for that!” Well, upon further interrogation, it turns out he regularly uses scissors to also cut up hotdogs, pancakes, and any number of things they should never be used for. I was appalled. 😳

I may not be the oldest dog on the block but I’m far from a young pup. I’ve lived a great life full of excitement, travel, a wonderful marriage, and of late, martial arts. Perhaps I’m losing my edge or just adapting to new circumstances I find myself in, but the other day (as you likely have concluded) I used the kitchen scissors to make nice bit-sized pieces of chicken nuggets for the little girls. You know what…they worked great! Will I start using the scissors more often in other nonconventional ways, time will tell. What I can tell you is that there are many people out there, including myself, who fit this metaphor. Being seen by most people in a very particular way and then someone comes along who takes the time to discover you are a developing person with skills, experience, and history with a mind and will to learn more!

My point is this: be open to viewing others in a different light than your first impression or bias. Give someone an opportunity to prove themselves that you may otherwise not have. See people for their potential and passion because, yes - old dogs can learn new tricks!

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