A Scoop of Mashed Potatoes

I didn't get to see it, but during the holidays my grandson was in a skit at school. My husband Allen was there, and when I asked him how it went, he said it was fine, our budding little actor played a scoop of mashed potatoes. I asked him if mashed potatoes had any lines, and it turns out, it was a speaking role. All of the children were portraying food of one sort or another, and each side dish (and the turkey) thought he or she was the best part of dinner.

As the play progressed, and the food was together on the same plate, everyone decided that everyone else was not so bad, and nobody was really any better than anyone else. (At least Allen thinks that was the moral; in addition to having a last-minute, substitute turkey, sometimes first graders aren't quite loud enough when you want them be, and the story may have gotten lost in translation. Upon questioning, all our grandson got out of it was the title of the play, "The Meal Must Go On.")

But isn't it an intriguing thought? That just like gravy and green beans, we can all look different and be unique and still be on the same plate without fighting? Maybe we can even have our own opinions and occasionally disagree with one another and yet still be friends. Wouldn't that be nice? I actually do know many people who have differing political views, religious beliefs and philosophical opinions, and we do manage to get along. However, I wish that on the larger stage of the world, people were more tolerant, more loving and more willing to realize the importance of friendship. In the play, when the mashed potatoes got mixed up with the cranberry sauce, the potatoes said, "Hey, you're not so bad after all." And the sauce said, "You're not so bad yourself."

Ah, yes. One more aspect of living peacefully: Just because you're mashed potatoes, doesn't mean you can't get along with cranberries!