Brain Fertilizer

Leonard Ferguson's lifetime goal was to become a chef. From a very young age, he was always in the kitchen, trying out new recipes, taking the thyme to experiment with spices...

For his 16th birthday, his parents bought him his own tools: a brand-new set of copper-bottom stainless steel pots. Leonard was ecstatic, and his enthusiasm was doubled, if anything, at the prospect of having better equipment.

But the goal of becoming a professional chef eluded him for years, stretching into decades. After another unsuccessful job interview, he was despondent. His friends gathered one evening to discuss what they could do to help. One person pointed out that Leonard was still using the old copper-bottom pans his parents had given him nearly 30 years before. They resolved to buy him a new, professional-quality set of cookware. They passed around the hat, and ended up with enough. They called Leonard over for drinks one night to make the presentation, and Leonard was moved to tears.

The next week, to thank all his friends, he decided to have a formal dinner of his favorite masterpieces, but he would not disclose the menu. On the appointed night, all his friends and supporters sat around the table, suffering in exquisite anticipatory pleasure from the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen. Finally, one bold young lady, a lawyer by profession, decided to see if she could slip in and find out what he was making.

She stealthily opened the door and drifted inside, a silent shadow...

A scant minute later, she returned, a troubled look crumpling her countenance.

"What's wrong?" the others asked her.

"Leonard is still using the cookware his parents bought him! Why? Why? Why?!?"

Jim, a psychologist, had this to offer: "We did our best, my friends. But surely you must realize..."

"...a Leonard simply cannot change his pots."