What's Really Important?

So here I sit in front on the tv, watching two teams knock the snot out of eachother to win a football game. These guys risk their very lives to play this game. Are they warriors or are they idiots? It's a fine line I guess. I used to take my teams very seriously. If my beloved Houston Oilers or Astros would lose a game, I would soon lose my cool. Things are different these days. I'm older... much older it seems than that 13 year old filled with rage as the Oilers blew a 35 point lead in a matter of minutes. Now, a team loss is followed by a deep breath, and a calm assurance that even if they had won, my life would have been impacted exactly the same. It's not like I'm the one making the money or receiving the adulation of the crowd.

As most of you may know, I've been given the incredible opportunity to take care of my nephew in the mornings. The crazy part to me is that he's only been in our lives for four months, yet I'm not sure how we've made it without him. He has brought our family much closer together than I would ever have imagined. Sometimes as I'm taking care of him, I'll take my eyes off him for a second, and hear his voice say a word that he loves to say, like "bread." What a random little child.

The other day I put his new favorite buddy (Curious George) in his high chair, handed him a plastic spoon and encouraged him to feed George, in an effort to encourage some imaginitive play on Wei J's behalf. Wei J looked at me as I said, "Feed the monkey." He looked at the monkey. Looked at me and smirked (quite different than a smile), as if to say, "Dude, you are one whacked guy. It's a stuffed animal."

Now, Wei J has fed most -if not all - of us with imaginary food, but feeding a stuffed animal?

Tentatively though, as if he thought he was too cool and people might be looking, he pretended to feed the monkey. As he went on he kinda got more into it. Seeing that he was well busied with the new activity, I turned to check something on the computer. As I turned back, my jaw dropped as I saw this:

There, in front of George, balanced on the little "crotch guard" of the high chair, was an unopened package of instant noodles. Within a matter of a minute and a half, Wei J had learned the game and one-upped his Shu Shu.

I call this picture, "I see your little plastic spoon, and I'll raise you a Cup O'Noodles."

Now, I ask you, could a boy look any prouder?

Now with 47 seconds left on the game clock and the Longhorns down by 4, I know the world will still be spinning tomorrow regardless of the outcome. And Wei J will find a way one-up his Shu Shu.