Got That Blackberry and It's Pretty Cool Beans

A post ago I showed a photo of myself holding up a Daddy Day card and a quart of blackberry from my wife. Karen has always known how to keep me humble, and she did it again.

When I decided to get one of those geeky all-in-one-telephones-that-includes-e mail Karen immediately recognized that I was about to embark on another one of my flights into perfection through technology. As Malcolm Gladwell writes in his wonderful book, BLINK, her inner discernment immediately knew how to keep me humble without crushing my very sensitive ego. She "Thin Sliced" my demeanor and bought me a quart of berries.

Remember that I grew up in a farming area. I picked blackberries and helped Grandmother Taylor make jellies and jams. One of my favorite photos is Mom Taylor and me with huge buckets of berries. Both of us are dressed in Osh Gosh overalls and look like bit players in the movie Grapes of Wrath.

Karen's card and quart of berries said it all.

"Remember where you came from and do not get the big head and start talking about the fact that you carry a quad phone with international connections and immediate e mail. You are from Ina, Illinois for crying out loud so cool it!"