Mah.
A little over five years ago, after the birth of the Goldfish, Hank told me that he really wanted our children to have not just good manners, but insanely awesome ones. His philosophy? Good manners will save your butt in the long run, and we figured that our boys might need some good saving once in a while.
Please’s and thank you’s and yes sir’s and yes ma’am’s abound. In fact, even before the Terror could talk, he would sign “please” and “thank you” like a maniac. He still breaks ’em out if his mouth is otherwise occupied, or if he wants to add emphasis. But what’s been cracking me up lately is the manic “Mah peese!” (more, please) over and over when he’s eating.
He gets a little crazy about it.
We put a lot of his food in a shallow bowl so that he doesn’t have to chase it around a plate so much. But the problem is, he’ll eat it all out of the far side of his bowl, and then he can’t see that he still has at least half as much piling up on the side closest to him. He’ll look at me, a little panicked sometimes, and start saying emphatically, “Mah. Mah! MAH!
I cracks me up because all I have to do is rotate his bowl around and he beams at me like I’m magic, because lo and behold, there’s more food.
And it makes me think. Sometimes, a lot of times actually, when we think we’re depleted on something we need, we just need a little change in perspective to realize that we really are quite wealthy. Our needs are being met. We won’t go hungry.
And in those times, it sure does help to have someone on your side who seems somewhat magic.
So here’s to you today, either waving your wand and helping shift someone’s perspective or receiving a new view on what you need.
It’s probably there just in front of you.
