Macroeconomics and Harrison Ford

What, you ask, does Harrison Ford have to do with macroeconomics?

So glad you asked. Allow me to explain...

On the way to school each morning, I try to teach my children something. Whether it’s something simple like where milk comes from or something a little more complicated like where souls go when people die; I always try to teach them something.

This morning was no different. I’m not really sure how the conversation got started but we were talking about macroeconomics and the gross domestic product. That led to a conversation about agriculture and silviculture… that in turn led to a conversation about each state’s chief export… eventually leading to each state’s primary industry and how they weren’t necessarily food-related.

Then we talked about how the film industry was huge in California. Daniel commented that was huge in south Florida too. I asked what he meant and he replied, “Oh, you know, because of ‘CSI: Miami’ being filmed there.” I said that I wasn’t 100% certain but didn’t think it was really filmed there and then explained how TV shows and movies are often made on a set contained in a warehouse. I said they have people who build the sets and explained how it was similar to the community theater, just on a larger scale.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this jumping around in the conversation, I said something about Harrison Ford being a master carpenter. I mentioned that he’d once built some kitchen cabinets for George Lucas and how when he was cast in Star Wars, he was building sets on a film lot. I said that was probably how he eventually ended up being cast as Han Solo on Star Wars. It was a passing comment, really, and we only briefly touched on it.

(Yes, I know, I know… urban legends, Snopes and all that. Anyway..! As I was saying…)

Keep in mind, this entire conversation spanned two schools, thirty minutes, and several general topics. I’d finally gotten back around to the original topic as we were in line to drop off Daniel and had just wrapped up the explanation of why agriculture and tourism are such an important part of Florida’s economy.

I turned around to kiss Daniel goodbye and asked, “So, what did you learn this morning?”

Daniel didn't miss a beat. He quickly replied, “I learned that Harrison Ford is a master carpenter and used to build cabinets for George Lucas. You know, Mom, I wonder if he still has those cabinets in his kitchen?”

And that, my friends, is what Harrison Ford has to do with macroeconomics. :)