Pancakes Either Way

Beautiful Idiots Proverb #1: “Is this breakfast or dinner? Pancakes Either Way”

I love pancakes. As a kid, I would eat as many as possible. This desire to conquer the flapjack lent itself to an affinity for the silver dollar pancake (as it was known at the I-84 Diner in Fishkill, my local pancake provider). Smaller cakes meant higher numbers, and though it was the pre-statistical era, there was an argument to be made that I was leading the league in pancake intake, especially when you consider the additional pancakes eaten at home on weekends, snow days, holidays, and mornings after sleepovers.

As I got older, the pancakes evolved. We’re talking short stack, full stack, chocolate chip, banana walnut, cinnamon apple, blueberry - the possibilities are truly endless. I learned the sacred combination that is pancake mix, eggs, and water (or milk or whatever you do to make yours… I’m a simple man, the less steps the better) and I began to make pancakes for myself. Size would vary, shape would vary - I might have even made a Mickey Mouse pancake if I was feeling fancy.

Soon enough the freedom of a driver’s license made the world mine. I could go anywhere, any time, and eat as many pancakes as I wanted. That’s exactly what happened. There were many late night trips to the diner, and I feasted.

This habit lived on, and years later I found myself living walking distance from a Denny’s in Anaheim. I’m not particularly proud of it but my friend and fellow Beautiful Idiot Understanding and I (this is Joe speaking, btw) made countless trips to that Denny’s, where I found myself eating pancakes in the still of the night.

I have to admit here that I eventually became a bit confused. Pancakes began as a breakfast food - a special way to start a day. Then I learned how to make them, and since they were one of the only things I could make, they became a dinner option as well. Then they were a late night snack. After that, they just kind of made my stomach hurt. Lost in the whirlwind of my 20s, I no longer knew what to make of my precious pancake.

That’s the thing, though. In our society, inundated with options and information, I’ve found that people are compelled to organize. We need to put labels on everything so everything has a place in our overstimulated brains. I don’t think that’s always necessary. In fact, I think it might be detrimental to most of the things that exist in our universe, pancakes included. There are lots of things around us that don’t fit cleanly into boxes, and while it may be hard to accept at first, embracing the reality of the unknown can liberate us. My point is eat the pancakes, don’t worry what time it is.

Part of our mission as Beautiful Idiots is to share the wisdom we’ve gathered on our journey through life. The goal here isn’t to force a philosophy upon you. It’s simply to offer a piece of advice that’s helped us navigate the waters, in the hope that it might also keep you afloat. So maybe this collection connects with you - take what you need, leave the rest for someone else. Maybe these maxims raise within you a desire to question the world around you, observe with a more inquisitive eye. Perhaps they reveal a deeper appreciation for your experience, and urge you to embrace the world with a renewed energy that allows you to radiate joy, love and laughter - that would be beautiful. Maybe they mean nothing to you and you think we’re idiots. All true.

Presenting Beautiful Idiots Proverbs.