Say Uncle

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – My bachelor uncle has been a big part of my whole long life; he’s an entrepreneur, auctioneer, family historian and all-around interesting community figure.

This uncle regularly visits, and one of those visits a few weeks ago was on Robbie Burns Day. For the occasion, he declared, we must have Scotch.  The weird part of the story is that I had a good bottle of Scotch at the back of the cabinet, a forgotten Christmas gift from over a year ago. I had stashed it to the back because I don’t drink Scotch; dusting off was required.

And so we whiled away the evening sipping in front of the burning wood stove, one bottle of expensive Scotch and two glasses. We talked about family history, his childhood memories, memories of my dad in his youth. It was a delightful evening that I will cherish. Not to say that such a delightful evening could not have happened without Scotch, but the beverage added to the magic and the memory. 

What other things do we have tucked away, ideas, plans, goals, trips, and other quiet longings that are pushed to the back in the busy day to day where we just stay focused on the known, and comfortable experiences?  Did someone offer something new and different, an idea or dream, and we stuffed it to the back, now forgotten?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a familiar and cheerful, comfortable day’s activity. But let’s make sure that when we can we are double checking where we put that expensive bottle of Scotch, who we could maybe share it with, and what magic memories we could make in the moments that weave together to form the magical lives o’ mice and men.

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