The Humble Acorn

You know how it is. Sometimes you just run out of ideas to blog about. So, during one of these void-in-the-brain episodes, I asked a friend to give me a random word and I would write a post about it. She said,

"Oh, I don't know.......... acorn."

And the void was quickly filling in with all kinds of random thoughts.

I thought I could tell you about the beautiful photo I recently saw on the front cover of a book with a new tree sprouting out of a split acorn. It was exquisite. And I will always wonder how the photographer captured that gem. Was it a set up? Or did someone actually stumble upon this miracle in the natural world?

I could tell you how funny it was that just a few days after I was offered this word, it showed up on a license plate on the car in front of me. Why would someone have the word acorn on their license plate??? What are the chances that I would happen to see it?

I could tell you stories about this sweet little squirrel (portrait above) who I made friends with during a trip to Long Beach last year.

I could talk about something deep and profound. The symbolism of the acorn. New beginnings and such.

But really, I shamelessly admit that all I can think about is the poor little critter and his relentless quest to attain his most precious beloved, yet elusive acorn in this scene from Ice Age 2. I saw this in a packed theater some time ago and had one of those torturous moments where I could not hold in my laughter. The scene wasn't even the funniest scene, but at that moment, for me and no one else, it became unbearably funny. When everyone else stopped laughing, I found myself suffocating, trying desperately to hold it in which makes you feel like you are going to burst into an embarrassing explosion of furious laughter, drawing unwanted attention to yourself.

We've all had them.
My favourite is when you see a newsperson trying to keep it together during a live broadcast. And the harder he tries to stay serious, the more likely it is that he is going to fall apart. If he only had the freedom to just get it out, the humour would quickly fade and normalcy would take it's rightful place once again.

Nothing is more agonizing than trying to supress an outburst when it is not appropriate to laugh. It's kind of like being tickled. A seemingly good feeling that is SO VERY NOT!

All of this over an innocent, unassuming little acorn.