The Potato House

I was going through some writer’s block this morning and then I saw this meme above. Isn’t this a fun idea? It’s not like these people are only offering potatoes to trick-or-treaters. Kids get to choose between another piece of the same old/same old candy, or they get to brag and tell the crazy story at school about getting a potato for Halloween.

Don’t we all need a random potato in a pile of the usual candy? There is something wonderful about being oddly surprised. When something unusual happens (and not a “bad” unusual), it spawns a little bit of delight in us, doesn’t it? So much of our every days are made up of our rote habits and routines. Even our holidays become so “traditional” that we rarely shake things up. We put the wreath and the tree in the usual spots, barely even thinking about what we are doing.

Let’s all add a potato into today’s basket of candy. Got to a grocery store you never go to, to see what they are offering up. If you’re “doom scrolling”, try a different news website than you usually check out, to scare yourself silly. Make breakfast for dinner. (the last time I did this, my family thought it was the best meal they had eaten in a long while) Listen to a song in a foreign language. (I found this song the other day and I can’t stop playing it.) It’s wonderful!

I like to watch animals in nature, or even our own dogs. They never cease to surprise me. The other day, Trip, our Boykin spaniel was violently barking and snarling at some enterprising young men my husband had hired to wash our windows. We all wanted Trip to “hush up” in a big way but none of our scolding was stopping him from his angry rant. In fact, our scolding was giving his tantrum explosive fuel. Then, Ralphie, our Labrador retriever disappeared. He came back with Trip’s favorite blue spiky ball and he placed it at Trip’s feet. Trip can never resist this ball. He picked it up in his mouth. Problem solved! Hot potato! Our dog has more sense than we do.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

8 thoughts on “The Potato House”

  1. I really needed to hear this message today. Not so much about the potato (which was fun) but the quote at the end: Free yourself from expectations. The best will come when and from where you least expect it.

    I have been waiting for the break that I know is coming my way. I’ve put in the work, I’ve sowed all the seeds, I’ve watered the garden. But that little piece of magic seems so elusive!

    Right now, I am involved in a project of writing a mini biography for my mom’s 80th birthday, which happens November 1. And I just started it. Yeah, I know – good luck with that! But you know what? I am learning so much about my mom that I never knew. I’ve asked for memories from her siblings, her friends, her grandkids – even my ex-husband! And the material I’m getting is amazing! Because the deadline is so close, I’m making this my full-time job right now, which is forcing me to let go of other expectations. I don’t have time to fret over creating opportunities for future success. I just need to be successful at this one thing. And while I’m putting my heart and soul into this one thing, the positive energy I’m creating is going out into the universe, and eventually it will come back to me. When it does, I hope that I am mindful enough to connect this time with that outcome, although it will probably look completely random and I’ll forget all about the karma seeds I’m sowing right now!

    1. Kelly, from what you’ve shared over the years on this blog, I am sure that you have an enormous garden with acreages of good karma, soon to be blooming for you. 🙂 Happy early birthday to your wonderful mama!! Enjoy the project and the happy surprises about your mom.

    2. I’m following up to my potato experiment. I believe we live in the wrong sort of neighborhood for gifting potatoes. We had a grand total of 5 children come to our door. The first set of 3 kids listened as I told them the potato might be magic and they should take it and see. They didn’t believe me. They probably ranged in age from 8 down to 4. The next group of 2 were probably about 5 years old. Maybe six–but I don’t think so. One of them took the potato because that’s what his hand grabbed. I started to tell him (although he didn’t ask) that the potato might be magic. He actually started to put it back in the candy bucket. But then I told him since he chose it, I had something for him. I exchanged the potato for a full-size candy bar. ALL OF THIS WENT OVER HIS HEAD (poor thing). And WHERE WERE HIS PARENTS? I didn’t hear from them until the stunned boys turned to leave this crazy lady’s porch and the parents said, “Tell her thank you.” I may not have presented the potato in the best possible light…and clearly my audience was far too young. Hahahaha. My daughter got a kick out of the exchange though. What was your experience, Kelly?

      1. Good for you, Gail! I’m sorry that it didn’t go as expected, but it sounded like an interesting experiment, for sure. I honestly forgot about it until it was too late. My husband suggested that I use an orange, but that didn’t seem to fit the “potato” bill to me. Thank you for reporting your findings. 🙂

  3. Good morning Kelly,

    I love the randomness of this!!

    I love….everyday you are given a choice….
    That’s so true about LIFE!!

    Have a good one!
    Joan

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