g is for Genius

You might say I am small-minded.

Others seem enamored with rocket ships that fly to the moon, growing wireless networks, or classy automobiles.   All of the Gs:  g-force, 5G, G-class…That is all out of my realm.  Unless they are referring to a new bra cup size, I’m not really interested.

My mind and my money are on small strokes of genius.  That’s my g: things that make life better for all of us.  Things that stand the test of time.  Things I understand.  Things I can afford.

Take the ice cream cone.  Now that is pure genius.   Hand-sized.  You eat the dish and the evidence at the same time. Nothing to wash!  Portable. Light weight.  Stackable.  Sells for pennies.  What more can you ask for in a single product?  What would summer be without ice cream cones?  Might as well hold back the sun and live in a season of darkness.

And who thought to put toilet paper onto a roll?  Is that person in the designers’ hall of fame or memorialized at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?  The manufacturers can make the paper softer, stronger, more colorful, and even scented, but the beauty is in the roll.  Intellectuals might debate the proper manner in which to hang toilet paper—should it be over or under?  Who cares?!  It’s on a roll!!!

Staying with the paper-hygiene family, how about the soft, dry tissues packed into a pop-up container?  If you have ever had to carry a soggy cloth handkerchief glued together by snot, then you know the inventor of Kleenex deserves a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian.

Moving on.  I still love a good, sharp pencil.  My mind is like a Formula 1 race car when I have that old-fashioned, skinny tool in my hand.    I’d like to pay homage to the person who thought to put a tiny eraser on top of a pencil.  I hope that he or she went straight to the head of the class and got a full scholarship to MIT.

And, finally, what about the humble fork?  While many traditions eat with their hands or scoop food into bits of bread or use chopsticks, I gotta say, I love a fork.  It gets the job done whether I’m preparing food or eating, and it keeps my hands clean too.  It is easy to wash, maintenance free, and lasts a lifetime unless you have children who manage to misplace their silverware or take it to school for science class or show-and-tell.

With the world in so much chaos, I prefer to focus on the small things.  Things that stand the test of time.  Things I understand.  Things I can afford.

If you want to talk more about this, call me on my flip phone.  

---