>> IN MY FAMILY THERE'S ONE RESTRAINING STORY THAT'S BECOME SOMETHING OF A LEGEND.

IT'S NOT A STORY OF BRAVERY OR ALTRUISM.

IT'S JUST THE STORY OF A SPOON.

AND IT GOES LIKE THIS.

ABOUT ONE YEAR AFTER THE BIRTH OF OUR FIRST CHILD A PLASTIC SPOON SOMEHOW GOT PLACED ON OUR FRONT STEPS.

AS FAR AS PLASTIC SPOONS GO, IT WAS I GUESS RELATIVELY HIGH QUALITY, VERY SOLID CONVICTION CONSTRUCTION.

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IT WAS JUST A PLASTIC SPOON.

AND WE HAVE NO MEMORY OF HOW IT GOT THERE.

NOW, WHAT DID MAKE THIS SPOON SPECIAL IS THAT IT DIDN'T MOVE.

NOBODY TOUCHED IT, NOBODY KICKED IT, NOBODY ACCIDENTLY SWEPT IT INTO THE BUSHES.

AND FOR A DAY AND THEN FOR A WEEK AND THEN FOR A MONTH THE SPOON JUST SAT THERE.

YOU SEE, BACK THEN MY WIFE AND I WERE VERY, VERY, VERY TIRED PEOPLE.

WE WERE NEW PARENTS, STILL IN THE FIRST YEARS WHEN ENERGY MUST BE CONSERVED IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.

THE SPOON WASN'T TECHNICALLY IN THE WAY, THEREFORE IT WASN'T URGENT.

THEREFORE WE LEFT IT ALONE.

THE FUNNY THING IS THAT WE WERE BOTH VERY AWARE THE SPOON WAS THERE.

WE WERE EVEN AWARE THAT ITS ONGOING PRESENCE REPRESENTED SOMETHING PROFOUND ABOUT OUR LIVES.

WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT.

SO WE JUST GAVE IT A NAME.

THE SPOON BECAME THE STOOP SPOON, A QUIET, BUDDHA-LIKE PRESENCE IN OUR OTHERWISE CHAOTIC LIVES.

UNFORTUNATELY THIS STORY DOESN'T HAVE ANY DRAMATIC TWISTS, BUT T DOES HAVE A NARRATIVE ARC.

FOR AN ENTIRE SUMMER THE FIRST PART OF AN EARLY FALL THE STOOP SPOON WAS OUR DAILY COMPANION.

UNTIL ONE AFTERNOON INEXPLICABLY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, WE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO THROW THE SPOON AWAY.

AND SO WE DID.

NO CEREMONY, NO TEARS.

WE JUST TOSSED IT IN THE TRASH.

AND THAT'S WHEN IT FINALLY OCCURRED TO US, THE STOOP SPOON WAS MORE THAN JUST A SPOON.

IT WAS A COSMIC LESSON, A REMINDER THAT IN THIS LIFE THERE TRULY IS A SEASON TO ALL THINGS.

DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO RUSH.

ACCEPT DISORDER.

THIS TOO WILL PASS.

WHEN IT DID COME TIME TO PART WAYS WITH THE STOOP SPOON, MY WIFE AND I WERE ACTUALLY ANNOUNCING TO THE UNIVERSE WE HAD RECLAIMED A SMALL AMOUNT OF SURPLUS ENERGY, WHICH, AS EVERY PARENT KNOWS, IT A PROFOUND AND FUNDAMENTAL MILESTONE.

A MILESTONE WORTH CALLING OUT AND GIVING A NAME.

OR, AS WE SAY IN MY FAMILY, THE