hey you, stupid, yeah you

I've done a few stupid things in my life. Not hitchhiking or base jumping stupid. No, mine has been more of the listening to Rush Limbaugh in college and buying the 200 count Red Vine package from Costco stupid.

Truth be told, I think I am of average intelligence. As children, my sister and I were given I.Q. tests. To this day my mother won't tell us our scores. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. My sister can play any instrument she picks up site unseen, it took me three years just to learn to braid hair. While my sister emerged as the teachers pet, I was spending my time collecting them.

circa 1979

I don't mind being average. I worked hard and did well in school. I developed a love for reading and I have set out to read all the great ones. Or the ones I think are great anyway. Maybe by the end of my life I will have some small understanding of the world in which I lived.

But let me get to the point of this post. I hate the word stupid. The boy has been busted as of late using this word, or one of its derivatives, and there has been some punishments dealt.

I also hate that the world seems to only really recognize genius when it comes to scholarly feats. I once spoke to a friend on the phone. She was driving her kids to karate, eating an apple, fast forwarding the DVD, quizzing her daughter on spelling words and putting on mascara. And we had a perfectly cognoscente conversation, albeit a few, "stigma, s-t-i-g-m-a" and "surplus, s-u-r-p-l-u-s" .

Dangerous? You might say. But I say to you, necessity is the mother of invention, and mothers, above all, are inventors.

I think it is time we redefine terms like genius and stupid. Let's start by looking around us at the mere virtuosos of everyday life. I tell you, you are probably living right next door to a mastermind of organization! Have you seen these mother's with four plus kids? They are nothing short of brilliant.

I personally think I should be given an honorary doctorate in reproductive medicine. I know all there is to know. Can someone get on that please?


The drawing for the hat in the previous post will be open until Friday so scroll on down and have a look.