"Wise Saws and Modern Instances"*

       I came up with a bon mot or "wise saw" last week when I heard grandson Micah responding to his mother's question whether or not he was going to choose to do something.  The restaurant we were in was so noisy I couldn't make out exactly what it was.

       Micah thought a second or two before responding.  I was expecting to hear a yes or no; what I heard was, "I don't know."

       Thinking he might not be comfortable giving an indefinite answer, and remembering I was once his age, I said, in defense of a 15 year old's rights, "To not know is also to know your mind."

       Michael, the other grandpa at the table, smiled and assented to my gnomic wisdom.

       Our grandson, I think, felt supported.  We grandpas had done our job.

       *Jaques in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7 ("All the World's a Stage")