Wouldn’t you know it?  For some dang reason, the phrase “Well I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle” has been on my little brain tonight.

I do not know why.  I have been looking for anything else to write about but this.  But guess what.  My goofy noggin keeps coming back to this phrase.  So I may as well explore it.

I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.

Just what does this mean, really?

Well, here is the obvious.

1. If you are an uncle…. you are most likely a man.
2.  Your brother, or your sister has a child of monkey proportions.
3.  The monkey child could be natural born, or it could be adopted.
4.  If adopted, this story could take off in numerous directions (no babies at the orphanage, hence the monkey; the parents have a propensity for primates, etc.)
5.  If the monkey is natural born it could mean a couple of things.  A.) one or both of the parents are monkeys; B.)  a very freak act of nature has occurred.
6.  If the monkey’s parents are monkeys… you could  A.) be a monkey too; or B.) your brother or sister was adopted as a monkey; C.) a freak act of nature.
7. Some affair of sordid proportions occurred somewhere along the lines.

No matter the scenario, there seems to be an awful lot at play here.

Now, this phrase is sometimes used in casual conversation… “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”…. which is used to express complete surprise, amazement or disbelief.

In the literal sense, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of surprise involved anywhere.   Unless of course, that # 7 possibility comes in to play.

At any rate.   It was originally a sarcastic remark made by non-believers of evolution.  The “Evolution” which Charles Darwin shared with the world with his 1859 book The Origin of Species, and his 1871 book The Descent of Man.   The notion “that people were descended from apes was considered blasphemous..  by Darwin’s contemporaries”.   And, and, and, it was for this reason that the sarcastic phrase came into use.

Hmmm.  Evolution aside….   today, as with every day … .. … on several occasions… I feel like saying… “I, Polly, am the biggest monkey brain in the world.”

And right now, I have an Aunt who is probably laughing… and definitely saying….

“Well I’ll be a Monkey’s Aunt.”

And I love her for it.

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.” – Thich Nhat Hanh