When I’m driving my train of thoughts, I’m usually surpised by where it takes me.
For example, driving back from my son’s preschool, I was thinking about how my ex mother-in-law is moving back home from Florida…which is going to be a HUGE blog post, in and of itself, when I can put into word how I am going to feel about this…
Anyway…
Thinking about her led me to an elementary school…6th grade, I think…memory.
There was this boy, David, that I was friends with. He was a genius. In 6th grade, during our math time, his mother would come and take him to the community college to take a math class there. Yeah, THAT smart.
So…
We used to play together at recess. Us and a kagillion other 6th graders.
One day, David announced that he was starting a club called…
The TWAT club.
Uh-huh…the TWAT club.
And we were all in it. The TWAT club.
None of us knew what it meant.
We ran around the playground calling everyone that name.
We called each other that name.
Thank goodness we didn’t call our teacher that name.
After a few days of the TWAT clubs inception, our principal caught wind of this group.
And…
she called us all down to the office.
There were about 10 of us crammed into Principals small office. Feeling very uncomfortable. And not knowing exactly what it is that we had done wrong.
She looked around the room. And then asked us if we knew what the word twat meant.
None of us claimed to know…
except David. The founder of our little club.
And…she had him tell us what it meant.
We were all SHOCKED.
She asked him, if he knew what it meant then how was it that he had started this club…
And he said something like, “Because I knew that no one else knew what it meant. And…I thought it was a funny word.”
We had to apologize to everyone who we had called twat. And…David had to apologize to us for leading us astray.
So…while my train led me from my (twat) ex-mother-in-law…to the 6th grade memory…
I started thinking about how easily someone who knows just a little bit more than someone else…can be blindly followed.
We FOLLOWED this kid. Because we thought it was a funny word too. And NONE of us chose to find out what the word meant. Not one of us asked. We didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Because…we had a private club and we were cool.
But…
when you follow. And you are completely ignorant to what it is that you are following…
then you really are in the Twat Club.
Somehow, I’m going to have to change the wording and use this as an example for my kids. To NOT be a follower. To follow YOUR OWN inner voice…
To start your own club and not join the twat club!!
I love how that was a great life lesson!
I know a few people in that club . . .
I find it most interesting that an older person is moving BACK to Michigan from Florida. I thought once the snowbirds flew south, they stayed there.
What a great message. Don’t be a twat and follow blindly, kids! hehe
Now that is a great lesson. And funny, too!
Good luck with the exMIL, that sounds scary…