Something to talk about...

So today my brother and I had a lovely discussion. The cause of said conversation was my father's absence at home. He has gone to visit his brother in Conn. My Uncle, his family and my Dad are staying in some cabin in Rhode Island. Before he left, my Dad charged me with the responsibility of the upkeep of our house. Unfortunately my mother and brother have a tendency to be a bit absent minded about such things. So this past week I've been dutiful in my work. A whole lot more then ever before in my life, my mother will testify to that fact.

So anyways, I was telling my brother how I was thinking about cleaning up a little beyond what my father required of me. He just wanted me to make sure it did not become worse. But I have been slowly but surely become annoyed at the disarray of one of our pantries. Also, those little jars of food in the back of the fridge, that we don't use anymore. That has been on my mind as well. When I suggested my idea of cleaning up even more then what is required. My brother basically said don't worry, Dad's not here. Don't let his excessive cleaning bug bother you while he is away.

I told my brother, "It's not the big things like world peace that bother me, it's the little things like stuff in the back of the refrigerator."

Besides, if we all cleaned out our fridges...and many other things(like our lives), maybe we could be a little bit closer to world peace. I like the idea of starting small and working your way up to the big stuff.

It reminds me of a graduation speech I heard recently. The young man spoke of a trip to England, he saw a tomb there with an inscription upon it. I can't quote it as well as he did, but it went something like this... "I had hoped to change the world and failed, I had hoped to change my country and fail, and I hoped to change my family and failed, when towards the end of my life I realized, if only I had changed myself first, then I might have influenced my family, from my family, my country, and from my country to influence the world."