Ask Why

Soooo…. I have a joke. A young girl watched her mother prepare the Thanksgiving turkey. She couldn’t help but notice her mom cut off both turkey legs before setting the turkey in the stove to cook. “Mom why do you cut off the turkey legs?” the girl asked. “Because that’s how my mother did it.” The young girl’s curiosity led her to her grandmother. “Grandma, why do you cut off the turkey legs before you cook the Thanksgiving turkey?” she asked only to get the same response. “Because that’s how my mother did it,” the grandmother told the young girl. Determined to find an answer the young girl asked her great-grandma why she cut the turkey legs off. Her grandmother replied, “We didn’t have a pan big enough to hold the turkey, I had to cut off the legs.”

Okay, maybe my joke didn’t have the punch line you were hoping for, but I think it makes a point. WHY we do something is important… sometimes more important than the actual action.

Specifically in this joke the act of cutting off the turkey legs is a tradition. It’s been brought down by two generations. Traditions are wonderful. The thought of them makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, probably because traditions are nostalgic.

As I sat in Mass today I thought about how many traditions and rituals there are within the service. You stand up, sit down, and recite different prayers and scriptures. How many of us, though, know WHY we do all these acts? When we learn why we do something it gives us a deeper understanding allowing for a more full appreciation.

Ask why to seek a fuller experience in the activities you take part in. Worst case you find out there is no reason to be throwing away your turkey legs, more meat for you!

#why