Now this is a mantra that speaks to me on so many levels. 

First, there are french fries involved.  I’ve sworn off french fries for some time now but, to me, sworn off means picking a select few off someone else’s plate. You know the ones you like, for me it’s the really golden ones with fluffy insides and just a touch of oil left behind. Fabulous.

Second, given the ratio of french fry weight to bird weight they can barely fly away with their good fortune.  So we’re talking bounty and abundance, something I totally believe in.

Mostly this mantra is nostalgic to me.  When we were kids McDonalds didn’t have indoor seating (shutup I know I’m old) we ate in the car.  Our car was a 1960 something Studebaker with a bit of a hole in the floor and, I think, red seats.  My father liked to “go for a ride” which was the equivalent of let’s get the hell out of the house but we have no money.  On really good rides we would wind up at McDonald’s  for dinner out, unheard of in those days.  But there we’d be in the backseat with our cheeseburger and vanilla shake watching my father throw some of his french fries on the hood of the car so we could feed and watch the birds. 

What a wonderful show they put on.  The tug of war would make us all laugh so hard we could barely eat our dinner.  Watching a bird try to escape with an entire french fry would crack us up again, especially when he forgot he could fly and fell off the hood of the car. 

So when I came across a plaque that said, “Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry” I laughed out loud in the store.  And then I began to think about the legacy of the story.  I’m reminded that we didn’t have much, but we didn’t know it.  We had enough and that was perfect for leaving us with memories we treasure.

Now every morning when I look at that plaque (of course I bought it) I smile and I know like I know that I, too, have enough.