It is about a week after Easter, yet there is still a sense of Easter in the air. Many view Easter as a time to celebrate the resurrection. Many view Easter as a morning to feast with friends and family. However, virtually all children view Easter as the day of the Easter Bunny and the Easter Egg Hunt.
Due to weather conditions the Easter Egg Hunt was moved indoors. It was a massive hunt consisting of approximately 4 dozen eggs. I was proud of where I strategically positioned each and every egg – not all of them would be an easy find this year. It was a great time by all. However, about a week later an incredibly foul odor was propelling itself throughout the entire house. It took a couple of hours before it was determined that apparently not all eggs were found on Easter Sunday. Therefore, let the After Easter Egg Hunt begin – this one was not for pleasure but survival.
What is it about an Easter Egg Hunt that is so appealing to children? Well….finding something is one of the most basic instincts/desires that we are born with. Even in today’s world of high technology, the most popular childhood game remains the same as it was when I was a child – hide and seek. As adults, people enjoy word-search puzzles and also search for that perfect “on sale” item. Inherently, people like to search and find things.
With that said…..when an egg spoils in an enclosed area, it goes beyond a simple desire to find an egg. It had become a desperate need to find the egg. It is amazing a how a single action can yield two dramatically different emotions from the same person.
When I initially hid the eggs, I was a Proud Papa who took time and careful consideration to strategically hide each egg to promote the joy of his children during their annual Easter Egg Hunt. Yet that single action of strategically hiding the elusive eggs yielded a far different emotion the following week. Rather than the self-proclaimed Proud Papa, I was now viewed by myself (and potentially my spouse even though would be too kind to mention it out loud) as the Ignorant Fool who hid perishable items in a seemingly impossible to find location.
After an hour search I attempted to recruit the assistance of my Golden Retriever. Her breed is apparently a hunting dog which would imply possessing a strong sense of smell. Although it became perfectly clear that she did in fact possess a strong sense of smell, she also proved that the “man’s best friend” slogan is nothing more than a cliché. She got a couple good whiffs of the pungent odor and quickly ran out of the house.
The solo hunt was back on and the Egg Hider was now the only Egg Hunter. It took another hour or two but finally the elusive Magical Mystical Egg was located. It was almost poetic that the egg was located in my home office. Probably not the best idea to put it on top of an old computer monitor (which it fell behind cracking the shell and then spoiling as a result of the heat from the monitor).
It just shows…..even good intentions can result in stinking outcomes. But in the end, 47 eggs brought great joy while only 1 brought aggravation. Good intentions should never be stifled out of fear of a potentially foul outcome. In the end, there is always air freshener to brighten the situation.
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David – who has written 153 posts on .
Family and business are a difficult balance, with a ‘special needs’child and one in college, realizing I’m blessed, a good pair of wingtips and a cup of Starbucks is all it takes...
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Kids do love easter egg hunts…. and it never fails that you lose track of at least one egg. That is why I am very glad when the weather is nice enough to have it outside. At least your house doesn’t stink when you lose one…
Fun times!
When I was a kid, Easter is my favorite day of the year. Every year we have neighbors and other friends who get together to celebrate Easter. It’s just so fun! I can totally relate to you with the eggs. I remember those days when my dad hid the eggs to places where you couldn’t really find them. He ended up joining the hunt as well. I miss the old times!