The Curious Case of Dogshit Buttons
Sometimes a story can only be given justice if laid out in the form of a dialogue.
Collin: “Dad, did you hear about Grandma’s button?”
Dad: “Nope.”
Collin: “Pepper (the new puppy) bit it off her sweater while she was holding her.”
Dad: “Oh…OK”
Collin: “And the next day, Grandma saw the button in her poop.”
Dad: “Oooh…that’s funny.” (thinking the story had just ended)
Collin: “You know what she did?”
Dad: “What?”
Collin: “She got the button, and she’s sewing it back on.” (laughing)
Dad: “Wait…what?”
Collin: (now laughing hysterically) “She got the button out of the poop.”
Dad: “She got the button out of the poop?”
Collin: “She picked up the poop and got the button out.” (now in tears)
Collin: “She said she loved that button.” (bent over laughing)
Dad: “That’s absolutely fantastic.” (thinking this may be a blog)
Yes, it’s true…Grandma retrieved a button, from a piece of dog shit. And I couldn’t be happier to recant the tale.
First: It was told to me by my son. My son, who still laughs hysterically at farts and poop. But who also likes to dress well and make sure his hair looks good. Who still shows signs of being a little boy, but is now old enough to make me laugh…straight up. Not because he’s a silly boy, but because he’s being funny…like a human. Like a real human.
Second: What a glorious set of lessons, baked right into (pun intended) a seemingly mundane 2 minute episode in our day-to-day life. Lessons I feel compelled to share. Here goes.
Lesson #1: Value often lies in the eye of the beholder. What may be worthless to one person (ordinary button covered in dog shit), may be incredibly valuable to another (“I loved that button”). A broadened perspective can inherently and instantly increase the value we perceive in our lives.
Beauty is no quality in things themselves. It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. - David Hume Click To Tweet
Lesson #2: The obstacle is quite often the way. How many times do we get hung up on what we perceive to be the obstacle in front of us? How often are these obstacles constructs of our own mind? How many ‘buttons’ have you lost, failed to pursue, or given up on…just because you weren’t willing to deal with a little shit?
The obstacle in the path, becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition. - Ryan Holiday Click To Tweet Choose not to feel harmed - and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed - and you haven’t been. - Marcus Aurelius Click To Tweet
Lesson #3: Helicopter parenting, participation trophies, “timeout” and paid chores. All enemies of a quality that children desperately need in this world…resiliency. I think I’m a pretty good dad. But would my son have parsed through a dog turd to retrieve a button from his sweater? Even if he reeeally liked that button? Am I really teaching him about lessons #1 and #2? Am I overthinking this?
Lesson #4: There’s a lesson in everything…even dog shit. As illustrated by my ability to find three separate mental threads this morning, from the story of a turd..and a button. Regardless, each and every one of our lives are filled with limitless opportunities to reflect, and to learn.
Lesson #5: Grandma’s are cool. I mean, do things like this happen outside the sphere that encompasses the personality and disposition of a Grandmother? Perhaps. But for me, there’s no other way I could remember this story with as big a smile on my face.
A Boy and his Story. His Grandma and her new Puppy. A Turd. And a Button.
A Button turned Metaphor.
