Friday Food-for-Thought: Of Cheeks and Handclaps

Happy Black History Month!

It is the first day of black history month!

Am I going to give you a black history nugget every day this month?

NO.

That is what facebook, the twitters and the Instagram is for. And I plan to enjoy ALL OF IT.

Today I just have a food-for-thought.

I bought some of that lindors candy a couple months ago, but I didn't eat it all. I have 2 pieces left, and I have just kept them, and I hold them in my hand from time to time.

Why do I do that? Because it reminds me of something.

They are about the size of two typical cotton balls.

But...

They are the size of my nephew Justin's butt cheeks when he was born. He was only 3 pounds, and his butt cheeks could literally fit in the palm of my hand.

I would hold him in the NIC unit and say, "Look at you with your little booty. Your little scoot booty!!"

And that's what I call him to this day.

"Scoot Boooooty!!!!"

(And I plan to embarrass him something awful for the rest of his life. I see myself at a high school graduation yelling "SCOOT BOOTY!!!!!!"

LOL.

Fast forward 17 months. Scoot Booty's butt cheeks no longer fit in the palm of my hand. He looks like a little boy now.

And I notice something about him lately: whenever he does something that he himself thinks is amazing, he yells "YAAAAYY!!" and he claps his hands.

I noticed he does this when someone is cheering him on, or when he's just alone.

I remember him trying to negotiate the stairs at my house, knowing good and well he was not suppose to be on the stairs.

"Boy, get off them stairs!" I hollered.

He looked at me, because he knew he was wrong. And he wants to walk back down the stairs like a big boy. Granted he was only trying to get down one stair. But I watched as he grabbed the rail, thought about grabbing the wall or a nearby box, then thought better of it. He decided to grab the rail and step down carefully.

And when he did, he clapped and yelled "YAAAAAAY!"

"Dude," I said. "What the world are you all happy about? You weren't even suppose to be on the stairs."

He looked at me sideways and went on to focus on something else.

Yesterday when I was in the lab, I set up a sample sequence on an instrument and got it to run like I like. It is an instrument I have been fighting with for a couple of weeks, and it has been just a matter of me being patient and learning something new. (It is too complicated to describe here). It was late, and I was all alone by myself. When I finished, I hollered "Yaaaay!" and I clapped my hands.

Hmmm... I learned something interesting from Scoot-Booty:

Always take time to celebrate yourself.

Even if no one is cheering you on.

Even when no one is looking.

Especially when no one is looking.

It is a good habit to have. It makes the heart glad.

For I am sure we have goals and other things in life we want to accomplish that we don't tell anyone of. You know how people can crush your dreams and thoughts.

So I am learning to celebrate myself, if only for a moment.

I am making sure to take a moment to clap for myself.

Even if no one is around to clap for me.

I am making sure I take time to do this on purpose.

You do the same.

And again, Happy Black History Month.

Just a little something for your Friday. Some mini- food for thought.

Have a great weekend!!!