I recently had the pleasure of doing a podcast mashup with the podcast “That Checks Out with Damon and Ted”. We had an awesome conversation. In case you haven’t listened to TCO, let me give you a brief synopsis. Damon and Ted have been BFF’s since they were 6 years old. They are absolutely hilarious and have this awesome banter that I promise will make you belly laugh. The original intent was that they would take crazy road trips and then banter about their experience. Well, with the entire world shut down they had to change directions. The banter is simply about their everyday lives, but damn do they see things through a hilarious lens. Do yourself a favor and find “That Checks Out with Damon and Ted” wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
I went to school with Damon and Ted along with my Husband Heath so we all know each other. Our graduating class was only 110 students, so we really knew everyone. Damon, Ted, and Heath traveled in the same circle. They had an amazing group of friends, but I was never really connected. I was a little more of an outcast for whatever reasons. I guess I’ve always been a little different. Well, one thing that really struck me during the conversation was Damon saying he remembers me being “a little on the wild side”. I was really surprised by this. To describe me as wild when I was growing up is like calling a cheeseburger vegan. Not even in the same ballpark. It really made me think a little deeper about perceptions. Of course, perception and reality rarely have any similarities but now I’m thinking it is even more significant than what I originally thought. This goes way deeper than preconceived notions of other people though. Here’s a great example. I was at my fav Geneva restaurant, Craft Urban, grabbing a snack and a cocktail on Friday after work. I get done at 3:30 on Fridays and my husband doesn’t get home until about 7pm so I grab a little snack to hold me over until we eat dinner together that night. Well, two women and their two children (I’d say 9-year-old girls) were sitting at the outdoor table next to me. The food came out and one of the dishes was the cheese curds. Ugh, Craft Urban’s cheese curds are out of this world delish. My fav that I have ever had. I have enjoyed this dish more times than I would like to admit so I knew that these ladies were in for a real treat. One of the young girls thought they looked disgusting and was not even about to have anything to do with them. Everyone else at the table was trying to persuade this young girl to try it. If you have children I am sure you know the battle of trying to get them to try something they have never had before. She was legit terrified to try it. I was quite amazed by the other young girl though because she jumped right into the role of leader and basically said “I’ll try one first and then you try one”. The trepidatious girl agreed. They both took a bite squeezing their eyes shut and snarling their little noses expecting to absolutely hate what they just consumed. Their faces instantly relaxed and began making those noises we all make when we are eating something delicious. It was awesome!
I’m sure telling these two stories in the same blog probably seems weird but think about it. Both of these situations are preconceived notions. In school, my appearance was not what would be considered conventional, I suppose. The Craft Urban’s cheese curds fall in that same category. They certainly don’t look like any other cheese curds I have ever had.
If you were to get to know me growing up I was a total rule follower. Very well-behaved, well-mannered, and family-oriented. My style was simply, very unique. Not to say I never got in any trouble, but I was FAR from wild.
It really redefines the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover”.
We as human beings are so quick to pass judgment on anything and everything that doesn’t show up in our day-to-day lives. That truly comes from fear… fear of the unknown. 100% of everything in life is based in either love or fear… I was told once that there were only 4 types of fear in the world… fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, or fear of trying something new. Well, rejection, failure, and trying something new all fall under the umbrella of the unknown. When you find yourself thinking someone or something isn’t your cup of tea before even having had an experience with them/it… that is fear of the unknown. We all have it, but those that are willing to investigate further are the ones that truly have a deeper human experience. So, I challenge you to really face these fears head-on. Even trying foods that you’ve never had before will broaden your mind! So dig in! Bon appétit.
