Posts tagged life lessons

My brother-in-law’s annual hey-here’s-newish-music-you-probably-haven’t-heard-since-you-have-kids CD contains the excellent (and previously unknown to me) Avett Brothers song I And Love And You. The song prominently repeats the lament/regret/lyric:

Three words that became hard to say
I and Love and You

After hearing it a few times, George interrupted and said “Those aren’t hard words!” While he was right, the disconnect was funny enough that I had to pull over for a few seconds before I could safely resume driving home.

Yes, George, the words themselves aren’t difficult. But as you’ll learn, words have meaning only in context and in relationship with each other. For this reason, ‘I Love You’ — usually a defining and nervous landmark in a romantic relationship — can be much harder to say than ‘I love Rhododendrons.’

There will probably be many words that you find difficult to say as life goes on. Here’s a few that have tripped me up from time to time (with varying degrees of difficulty and seriousness):

• I’m sorry
• I was wrong
• Are you busy Friday night?
• Sooners lost
• Will you marry me?
• He/she died
• No

Words like these are hard to say because they reveal a truth or a desire. Saying them makes it real. Don’t be afraid of the real; those afraid of the real never really live.*

As long as words are tactful (an important caveat), then they probably should be said, even if difficult. And the more you say such things, the easier they become.

* We’ll stop here before this sounds much more like Kierkegaardian existentialism (speaking of difficult words!)

A few days ago, we went to buy some soup for mommy who was feeling a little sick. The topic turned to employees (based on a sign at the grocery store) and I explained

An employee is someone who does some work and gets paid for it

Oh, like you get paid?

Yes boys, just like that.

And you use some of that money to buy soup for mommy?

Yes

I realized that you guys don’t see us spend money much, just put stuff on the credit card. So I wanted you to understand how it works.

Boys, I want you to listen carefully. We’ll talk about this more later, but please listen now.

We’re listening Daddy

Let’s say you want to buy a toy that costs $10, but you only have $5. The credit card company will say “We’ve got $10, let us buy it for you” and you agree. Then the credit card company says “You can pay us $5 now and $7 next month.” How much does you toy cost?

$12 (George)

Does that sound like a good idea?

Oh no Daddy, I would never do that (Isaac)

Well lots of people do son. So when the credit card company says to Mommy and Daddy “You’ve used $100” Mommy and Daddy pay them all of that.

So you don’t buy stuff on a credit card unless you have that much money or more than that much money. (George)

Exactly boys

Keep this in mind. It’ll save you a lot of heartache down the road.