To be like a goose

My best friend once told me that I need to learn to just let things slide, literally, like water being poured on a goose. The water just slides down the coat of feathers, and the goose is not in the least bit affected nor fazed.

Sometimes, I get to work with people who are really “intense.” Maybe that’s the way to be successful, to be clear what you want, and be sure you get it. Times like these, I appreciate the advice about the goose. It’s also humility perhaps, to let the other person have his/her way, especially since most things are infinitesimally insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Thanks, my dear goosey friend!

Little learner

Today, I explained to Little X. at length how and why he should not disturb me when I am making dinner. As a demonstration of having understood, he nodded many times, and started shoving me towards the kitchen.

He is such a “little-adult.” Another time, as he was sitting in bed reading, I asked if he wanted some milk. He gave no response so I asked again. He didn’t even look at me but simply waved his hand asking me to go away and pointed to the door, nodding his head at the same time. It’s as if he was saying, “OK, just go get it if you want me to drink some milk, don’t disturb my reading.”

Cars

Little Xuanie loves cars. He used to like big trucks and buses when he was young. Now, it’s all about cars. He sees cars in everything. Once he was reading a Thomas the Train book. Of all the fascinating trains, he noticed one little car half hidden in some garage, occupying perhaps only 1/1000 of the page we were on.

If I were to record all the words he produces each day, “car” would emerge top in frequency. Once, I got so tired of hearing the same word over and over, so I spoke to him sternly not to keep saying that word. He looked at him sincerely, nodded, and, spurted out “CAR!” A few days ago, he accidentally said “car” when he meant “nai nai” when he wanted to nurse. He caught himself and smiled awkwardly before switching to say “nai nai.”

Of course, do I even need to say that he has watched the movie “Cars” at least a thousand time?