Dinner

Dinner time is family time. That is a simple rule in my house. Ever since my mother read a statistic that the average American family spends 4 minutes a day all together without phones, tv, or computers, she has been determined that we are above average. Everyone sits down, and eats while we recount our days or discuss anything that needs to be talked about. Phones go away and for just a short time we are only connected to the people around us in the room. I have been in very different experiences when having dinner with other families. I have sat down with a friend and his family and found that adults will talk while the teens and kids are allowed to do whatever they want and have no real expectations at the meal. My friend and I would pull out our phones and disconnect from the meal, or drive out before the bill has been paid as we are eager to get out. The family tolerates this, but I am sure I would experience much more resistance from my own parents. I feel a lot more comfortable at these informal dinners, like I do not have to be on as good behavior because I am not in a formal setting. My family dinners and meals with friends differentiate strongly.

Robert Lawton Leigh II

My name is not new. One of the very first things people notice about me when they see my name written out is the Roman numeral II behind it. The second is whether Robert Leigh is a tribute the civil war general and no it isn't if you haven't realized yet. That is an entirely different discussion for another day, but the point is my name has history, specifically in my family.The farthest back I know, the man I was named after was Robert Lawton Leigh I who was my great grandfather. He named his son, my grandpa, Robert Lawrence Leigh, and that Robert's grandson was me, Robert Lawton Leigh II. So it is safe to say Robert has been a popular name in my family. I don't know if it makes me sound illustrious, or fancy but I like the history I share with two other generations in my family. It always made me feel closer to those relatives even after they passed away, and they still live on in that family name even if they personally are gone.

A little of this, a little of that

Where am I from? Oh I don't really know. I have never really bothered to claim heritage in the past. I have always considered myself simply American or European like our founding fathers. My family is a bit of a mixing bowl of nationalities though. I have blood from all over Europe, mostly in the West. I am primarily German as one of my dad's great grandpa came over the Atlantic from there. However I am also a descendant from Sweden as well as England, Ireland, and other European countries. I know somewhat where I come from, but this does not impact my everyday life. I don't eat sauerkraut or wear lederhosen. And I know for a fact I don't live in the icy cold of Sweden. However, I did live in London for several years in my youth which did impact me. It still influences me today, and I look around my room to see my union jack rug and a ceramic copy of one of London's iconic double-decker bus. So that part of my culture did have an impact me as it was very cool to have lived there in the United Kingdom to be part of the same city some of my ancestors hailed to. It is pretty cool to know about my family's past and to be able to explore what their lives were like decades or even centuries ago. Even if I am a bit of a genetic mutt with heritage all over Europe, it is interesting to find a place to call my family's origin.