2pm - We stopped for lunch on our way into the city at a tasty place called Northbound and Up. I got smoked wings because if you know me, you know I love smoked wings. However, the plight of any wing eater is the inevitable tiny strand of chicken meat that lodges itself between your front two teeth and stubbornly refuses to be removed. It's the residual curse of the early fall of mankind and has yet to be redeemed. It irritates, it annoys, it doesn't understand simple courtesy. It lingers like that one friend that comes over to your party but stays later than any other guest, even when it's clear that the party has ended and they are no longer welcome. Currently, that overstayed friend is in my mouth, and I am powerless to change it.

Sometimes there are many things in life that we are powerless to change. However, I think even more profoundly, there are times where we actually feel even more like the chicken itself. Surely we can all relate to this situation: stuck between two giant white teeth, separated from the rest of the chicken wing meat that's already been swallowed up, constantly being pushed and pressed by a big pink tongue that wants to just get rid of us. It's a heartbreaking scene, and certainly makes you rethink your intial sour response to the event happening to you. I know I've been changed by thinking this way.

So next time, before you get justifiably angry about the wing meat (or popcorn kernel, Jolly Rancher, etc.) piece stuck in your teeth, remember this article. We've all been there - none of us are free from accusation. Be a little more empathetic and try to smile even when it's not always the easiest thing to do. I think you'll find that life is a little sweeter when you do.