Don't give turtle soup

Do you ever have those moments when you realize something you learned as a child is completely and utterly wrong? Maybe you had an entirely different take on a lesson than how it was meant to come across? Or perhaps it wasn't meant to be a lesson at all and you ran with it anyway?

When I was in, oh, maybe middle school, there was this food drive where we had to bring a canned good to get into a skating party or something like that. I remember my mom, at the very last minute, scavenging through our cupboards.

I had grabbed corn or green beans or something basic like that. She took it, and rummaged around for "something we won't eat." I was a little taken aback, which may explain why it has stuck with me all these years. Aside from wondering why we would even have anything we won't eat, I thought it was weird to give someone else something we wouldn't eat, but whatever, right? I think I ended up taking a can of yams and some cream of mushroom soup.

In my stupid years early twenties, I remember going to the store to purchase some canned goods for a food drive at my job. With my mother's words ringing in the back of my head, and without really thinking about the why's of it, I purposely passed on the corn and green beans and ended up with something like brussel sprouts and turtle soup. Because, you know, I wouldn't eat that.

Fast forward to this morning. I get a reminder about an event this weekend where I'm asked to bring a canned good per person. As I'm deliberating whether I should make a trip to the store or just pull something out of our cabinet, I once again flashback to that evening in the kitchen with my mother. Finally, it hits me.

I probably hadn't told her about needing the canned good until right that instant. She probably had plans to cook those green beans and corn for dinner that week. Something "we won't eat" probably meant "you kids won't eat it." With five mouths to feed and a full time job, she probably hadn't been to the grocery that week and there probably wasn't anything extra to give except for those yams and that mushroom soup - both of which were probably meant for Thanksgiving dinner, and if she had thrown in the marshmallows and French's fried onions I probably would have understood. But she didn't and so I didn't.

So this morning, I'm laughing at just one of those stupid lessons that weren't meant to be taught. I'm in awe of my stupidity today. It's also another reminder to NOT ignore Monsoon when he asks all those "but why's" because if he stops asking, he might end up with notions as ridiculous as mine.