A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We’ve all heard that saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Every picture also has a background story and knowing the story helps put the picture into perspective.

A prime example is this picture of my older brothers and me when we were young:

My grandmother took this picture at my grandparents’ farm.  I think her motive was to capture her adorable grandchildren and her beautiful spring tulips all in one picture.

However, if you look at the picture more closely, you would notice this:

My face.  Which isn’t very happy.  In fact, I would label that a definite pouty face, complete with stuck out bottom lip.

Why was the young Caffeinated Ginger so displeased?  Well, look no more further than my feet:

Those, my friends, are plastic bread bags on my feet.  I remember very distinctly that there had been a recent rain and the ground was rather wet and a little muddy.  I don’t recall what kind of shoes I had on that day, but I do know that Grandma was concerned about my shoes being ruined, so her solution was to place empty bread bags on my feet.

Even at three or four years old, I knew that this footwear wasn’t going to make for a good fashion statement.

Adding insult to injury, she didn’t make my brothers wear bread bags on their feet–just me. Sometimes it really stinks being the youngest child.

Grandma probably tried to sweet talk and cajole me into smiling for the picture, but being a stubborn ginger whose fashion sense had been insulted, I was not going for it.  Nope, no way. I’m sure she was quite thrilled when she received her developed pictures and saw this masterpiece.  Sorry, Grandma.

Of course, my own children have paid me back for my sins by not always cooperating for pictures either. That’s okay.  The time of retribution will be upon them when they become parents.  ‘Tis the circle of life.