Because of the blade grinder in Greenwich Village. The man in the red truck with a bell
that is strikingly similar to an ice cream truck, but instead of running for a
sweet snack you run down the stairs with your scissors and knives. He sharpens blades. Every time I see
him slowly patrolling around with his bell a ringin’ I start on a tirade about
how we’re becoming a homogenized society and pretty soon you won’t be able to
see that truck, because people don’t value it and the skill is being lost. Folks just throw things away, or feel
like they have to have their own million dollar gadgets to sharpen their blades
in the privacy of their own homes.
We’re all becoming isolated – yet strikingly similar – pods in a
franchised world!!! (Can you visualize the flecks of rabies-laced-spit
flying? And full disclosure – I’ve
never employed his services… but that’s because I use very dull blades around
here because of my lack of grace).
I’m hoping the year will stand as an example to the children
– the grid is fine, but getting off the grid and looking around is good,
too. I had a somewhat
unconventional job once and I took it because of a redhead from Australia. The first interview had hundreds of
people. It took hours for
everybody to stand up and barf up what we thought the suits wanted to
hear. Apparently I can (or could in my younger days) barf in a
manner appealing to suits because I made it to the coveted second round – an
interview with the president of HR.
For this round we were placed in groups of four, and we found out the
pros and cons of the job in more detail.
After, walking to our cars two of the candidates said that there was no
way they would take the job. I
turned to the woman from Australia walking next to me and asked her what she
was going to do and she said, “Why wouldn’t I? You only give it a go once.” I was offered the job, took it, and only lasted four months
before returning to my comfort zone, but I learned a lot in those four
months.
So an ideal that factored into the decision process: hoping
that The Girl and The Boy can see that when you are feeling swept up by
constructs and conventions and expectations you really can step aside for a
moment. Not to let the fear of
being trampled or left behind keep them in the race if they are not sure
whether or not they are running in the right direction.
I hope it’s the beginning of understanding what Robert Frost
is offering, and be able to say, “And I took the one less traveled by…” if they
want. And should they decide to
get back on the one more traveled by, back into the grind, if you will – I
soundly hope that there will still be the guy in the red truck cruising around
who can give them a ride back.
Seventh reason for deciding to home school… providing the
opportunity to see the view from the outside (to know that there is a view from the outside).
