I Like My Chicken Fried

Yes, you read that correctly. I like my chicken fried. Not fried chicken. Let me explain why. 

While vacationing this summer in West Falmouth, MA, my family and I went to a Cape Cod Baseball game. If you go to the Cape, and you are even the slightest baseball fan, I sincerely encourage you to find a game to go to. From their website, the Cape Cod Baseball League is recognized as one of "the best summer leagues in the country by college coaches and professional scouts." It's a wooden bat league, admission is by donation, and players are accessible to fans before, during, and after the game. Talk about playing for the love of the game!

This particular game was a doubleheader, and we arrived late catching the West Falmouth Commodores winning in walk-off style. In between games, I played catch beyond the outfield wall with our oldest son Patrick. It was a classic father/son moment and one that I would not soon forget. 

While we were playing together, there was music playing on the loudspeakers. I wasn't really paying attention to the songs. At one point, one of us overthrew the other, and I did stop to listen to the music. I heard the following lyrics: 

"It's funny how it's the little things in life, that mean the most

Not where you live, what you drive, or the price tag on your clothes

There's no dollar sign on a piece of mind, this I've come to know."

I thought about what I was doing at that moment right there. Standing in the grass, having a catch with my son, at a baseball game, in the middle of the summer. Talk about the little things...

That evening while putting him to bed, he was fussing with his phone. As I was reminding him we don't have screen time before bed, he told me he was downloading a song. I am almost sure I rolled my eyes and asked what song, expecting him to tell me the name of a song I could not recognize. Instead, he said, "I'm downloading Chicken Fried, you know, that song that was playing today when we were having a catch." You could have knocked me over with a feather - we had not said a word about that song all day. 

In education, we sometimes get caught up worrying about significant issues. Equity, justice, racism, test scores, budgets passing, and curriculum. Please hear me clearly - these are all critical issues, every single one of them. All have their place in the St. Johnsbury educational world. 

And we have to tend to the little things. We have to water the plants of relationships, we have to feed the desire to be cared for by our students, we have to nurture and grow a culture of trust so adults can feel safe taking risks. We don't want to miss the little things because we don't always know where those things are going to land in the lives of our students. 

So yes, Patrick and I both like our chicken fried. 

Photo Courtesy of www.yourmoderndad.com