Peeling Potatoes and Finding Purpose: Lessons from My Grandfather

As I peeled potatoes for a holiday meal this week, I thought of my grandfather—a WWII airplane mechanic and a man of quiet wisdom.

During the war, he got stuck with KP duty (“kitchen patrol”) peeling mountains of potatoes for hungry servicemen. KP was often considered a dreaded task and a form of punishment for new recruits. Instead of resenting the repetitive task, he embraced it. In fact, he grew to love it so much that he often volunteered for KP duty, despite the bewilderment of his peers.

In his own words, there was something satisfying about working through a warehouse of potatoes, one peel at a time. That patience and joy in the mundane later blossomed into a passion for cooking, using simple, humble ingredients. To this day, his apple pie recipe is a family legend.

His perspective taught me a powerful lesson: even the most repetitive, seemingly unglamorous tasks can become rewarding and inspiring when approached with the right mindset. It’s a lesson I carried into my own Army service and life beyond. In the 1980s, some military branches began replacing military personnel on KP duty with civilian workers. So a decade later I never had KP duty but did have to master sewing, ironing, shining shoes, and making a bed.

Buddhist philosophy says, “When washing the dishes, wash the dishes.” My grandfather’s life was a testament to this. Whatever he did, whether peeling potatoes or fixing airplanes, he was fully present, finding meaning in the task at hand.

This holiday season, let’s remember: greatness often grows from the ordinary.