Monday, March 23, 2009

Doing Lunch

When I was quite young, in the first or second grade, I often went home for lunch. But on those days when I chose to stay at school, my mom would put a little note in my lunch bag. It would tell me that she loved me. And so did Jesus. And sometimes a fun sticker accompanied said encouragement.

In university, I worked this little anecdote into a monologue. My prof, an award-winning playwright who shall remain nameless, was quite moved by this. A mother of five, she wished she had done the same. Probably without the Jesus part.

A year or so later, I attended her newest play in Toronto. The lead actress stood on the open stage and told a story about her mother leaving notes in her lunchbox, reminding her that God loved her.

My brother told me to sue. Instead, I chose to be flattered. And greatly amused.

There's a father who takes personalized lunches up a notch or two. He designs a new lunch bag for his kids EVERY DAY. And they're amazing.


P.S. I miss my Pound Puppies lunchbox. The one with the gimp strand tied to the handle.
Whatever happened to my
Whatever happened to my
Whatever happened to my lunchbox?
When came the day that it got thrown away
And don't you think I should have had some say in that decision?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

That's a cool story. I think you have a lot of cool stories. Cool stories are always good to have in your back pocket to whip out should you feel the need to "one up" someone. In this case, I like the context better.
Also, I wish I were an artist to draw on my kids (someday?) lunch bags.
And that's a good John Mayer song.

Anonymous said...

That is an interesting story. I love how the father painted pictures on the lunch bag, maybe that will be something I do with my children :)