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Many Pieces of Pizza

I had a managerial meeting that went until almost 18:30 and the boys dutifully waited it out downstairs. At one point Osamu did yell "Can I flush?" over and over and with increasing volume until I had to mute my Zoom and tell him to flush the toilet and then, with a straight face, go back to my online meeting where we were talking about core values and customer satisfaction.

I was talking with our sales manager who is about to become the general manager, and thus my boss. We've known each other and worked together for eight years, and over that time we've had our ups and downs, and I'm sure we will continue the grand roller coaster. However, since I will be his deputy general manager, I can tell he is putting his best foot forward and I appreciate him for that. I am hopeful for the future.

But man after that meeting I was pooped. I ran downstairs and popped oven pizzas in and Osamu loudly asked, "Papa are you done with work?" and when I responded with a big fat yes he yelled, "Yaaay!"


Mama did the prep, as always. I just nuke it and serve it. Kenzo wanted to help make the pizzas because he loves the story "The Red Hen", where a hen (who is red) is making a pizza and asks her friends to help and they turn her down so when she makes the pizza herself and doesn't give them any they learn their lesson. I asked Kenzo what happens if you don't help make the pizza and he said, "You don't get to eat the pizza."


Kenzo hogged a bunch of pieces but he couldn't finish so Osamu and I ate it up. When I asked Kenzo if it's good to take all the pieces of pizza he said, "No, but I want many pieces of pizza." I can't fault him for that. He's six years old. I'm 47 and I also want all the pizza even when I know I can't and shouldn't have more than one or two pieces.

Perhaps some lessons in life are not necessarily learned. They're just practiced. An important thing I am trying to model for the boys is that every day as a human is practice. If you get it wrong, shake it off and do better tomorrow. Just don't do so at the expense of others.

That may be a bit deep for pizza, but I think it's good to learn big life lessons in a small context and then extrapolate. Learn a lesson in a situation where failing has consequences that teach you but don't break you, so that when you come upon a situation where a failure could possibly break you you're ready to succeed or at least absorb the consequences in a healthy way.

Man, I'm tired.

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