Happy to meet Picasso...

Happy: delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: to be happy to see a person.


The first line in Leo Tolstoy's book, Anna Karenina, states: " All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way".

I was reminded of this fact last week when my wife and son (Ryan) were checking out "daddy's website".

    Ryan & Mimi (summer . 2009)

Upon closer observation of my site, Ryan realized that he has seen the picture of the old man (Picasso) holding the baby before. "Dad that is the same picture you have on your desk" he stated. I confirmed his belief then I asked if he knew who the man was.

Picasso
...this was my sites first "masthead".

"Poppa" he said,

"Close but no go" I replied. Can you say "Picasso?

"....Picaaasssoo" he replied, in typical 5-year old fashion. I told him that Picasso was a very famous artist.

He then replied, "I know...Mimi met him at McDonald's today". 

My wife and I are still laughing.

I don't need to tell most of you reading this how wonderful kids are and how they really do say the darnedest things. I still remember when Bryce was five (He's 14 now) telling me and his brothers one morning that he "didn't pee to bed" because the pee stayed in his underwear. 

Classic.

    Bryce (summer . 2006)

aka. Will Smith

Really? You don't see it. Look at those ears again and get back to me.

Ryan's comment was brilliant on so many levels. It displayed how amazing a young child's mind really is and how great and funny a creative imagination can be. For many children, life is (and should be) so simple. They wake up and hit the floor running. Each day is a new day with no left over garbage from the day before. They like to play with their toys and (in my house) they might not know a famous artist when they see one but they can recite every word in a Phineas & Ferb episode. They don't obsess about the details...they just live.

It was at this very moment I realized how happy we are as a family. Everything hasn't been easy (at times it has been downright unbearable), but it's times like this, when a family member meets Picasso at McDonald's, that I truly realize how fortunate we are.

 sbb  29.3.10  (What a Wonderful World . Louis Armstrong)  .  397