Originally published in Joy of Medina County Magazine, Aug. 2018 (see below)
On the farm, when I was a kid, there were times when things got to the point where there was a huge buildup of emotions, tensions and unfinished disagreements.
At such times, my mother and aunt would go outside and face off with a dozen raw eggs each. At least, that is how it would start.
They would stand about 10 feet apart, looking like old-time gunfighters, a
nd would toss an egg in their hands, up and down, taunting each other until one had had enough and would lob an egg at the other, and it was on!
Our job, as kids, was to stay out of it and fetch fresh dozens of eggs as ammo ran low.
The eggs would soar through the air like rockets, ending in satisfying cracks and ooze.
Eventually, we would run out of eggs or my mother and aunt would tire, and the battle would end with them laughing at each other as eggs dripped from their noses, fingers and shirt hems.
But you know what?
Those moments of crazy, no-rules egg throwing released the anger, stress and frustration of trying to survive.
It was after such crazy moments that they found a common ground and could agree on issues they could not previously. And, just as importantly, they kept us kids out of it.
We fetched eggs, but we were not allowed to join in because, oddly enough, the whole thing was about the grown-up world, even though, for just a few moments, they acted like children to get there.
Looking at the world today, I cannot help but think how wonderful it would be to see adults let their guards down, lob a few eggs, get hit by a few, and laugh. Laugh like they havenβt since childhood and reconnect with the humanity that we have all misplaced and need to find.
Egg photo byΒ πππππ πΏππππππππππ’