We can go our entire lives thinking that we have a pretty strong grip on reality – and that we in fact do know shiitake mushrooms from Shinola. However, we may be surprised that we don’t know Didley or anybody in his family. We have all seen the posts on social media in which people exclaim over and over that they were “now years old” when they found out that the two holes on the side of a Reynold’s wrap package are there to prevent the foil from becoming a shredded-up mess. Or that the button (indentation) on the side of a milk carton is actually an indicator mechanism designed to let the consumer know when the milk is no longer fresh. Apparently, this button pops out, if you will, once the milk is spoiled. What???
Being completely flabbergasted as to how you have lived a number of years completely in the dark about something is one thing, but to be “educated” by a child is another.
Intelligent kids have been around for some time. My father once told me a story about a truck driver who was stuck at a viaduct because his truck didn’t pass the height restrictions. The trucker stood there bewildered. He even called on a few passers-by to see if anyone could help figure out his dilemma. Just when it seemed that the only answer was to retreat and go another way, a little boy came along and offered a suggestion. As the story goes, the boy looked at the trucker and said, “If you let the air out of the tires, that will lower the height of the truck just enough for it to pass through.” The trucker heeded this advice and was able to pass under the viaduct without damaging the top of the vehicle. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that leave us awestruck.
