My Snack is Not Your Crisis

Just tuned into to an Anthony Bourdain episode, on the Travel Channel. Appropriately, Anthony is talking about the KGB and world domination. Also mentioned: moles, US agents, execution and mushroom clouds.

While spies and execution are interesting, and worth returning to another day, let’s talk about mushroom clouds.

When I was in high school, I made a painting of a white mushroom while sitting at my kitchen table. I brought the painting to school, and left it on my desk in the art room.

The painting was mistaken for an adolescent’s profound cry of anguish about nuclear warfare, entered into a contest and given a prize.

In retrospect, I realized that they’d mistaken my innocent, juicy mushroom for a noxious mushroom cloud of peril and death.

Takeaway life lessons:

1. Art is absurd, so enjoy it.
2. Don’t be afraid to create weird things.
3. Your weird attempts at creativity may be misunderstood.
4. Misunderstandings might work in your favor.
5. Paint-spattered mushrooms are bad to eat.

Image Source