Recently, I found that kerfuffle is a real word. A bit of an onomatopoeia, a kerfuffle is a disorderly outburst or tumult. It's synonymous with a commotion, disrutption, disturbance, flutter, or my personal favorite, a hoo-ha.
I was also educated on yet another great restaurant in Birmingham. Being as famous as it is, I was surprised I had never heard of it. Leonardo's is quite possibly the best Italian food in the world. Though you would never suspect that from its simple atmosphere, the food is amazing, and many famous people who visit Birmingham stop to eat at Leonardo's. It was nice to be serenaded by the miniature baby-grand piano and the expert accordion player.
People watching, one of my favorite pastimes, at Leonardo's led me to one last thing I learned. In front of me, there was a table with a mother and her two daughters sitting, eating and laughing. Mostly they were laughing; it's what caught my attention. The two girls giggled and cut-up the entire time I was there. From rolls, to the salad, to the main course, gales of laughter accompanied the meals and music of every one of the restaurant's patrons that night. It was this uninhibited laughter too; this laugh out loud, uncontrollable expression bubbling forth. As the evening progressed, I came to the realization that one of the girls was mentally challenged. There was just the slightest hint in her voice that gave it away. From there, I was a little more subtle in my people watching, thinking it may be deemed more impolite to stare in this instance. But I thought to myself, "maybe that's what it takes." Maybe a little ignorance to what's common and acceptable could help us all live much happier, care-free, laughter-filled lives. This girl, around sixteen years old, didn't care what other people thought, and why should she? Why should anyone? Life's short, make a hoo-ha! I wouldn't have been embarrassed to share a table with such fun-loving company; quite the opposite, I would have relished the opportunity with an immovable smile on my face. So I guess I learned to enjoy life to the fullest as often as possible. You may not have everything you want in life, but there are already so many good things in life worth laughing about and worth enjoying.