I was holding my son Liam this evening and he started doing the only cool thing he can do right now - coo and smile.
He was really talking it up and responding to the silly noises. It was cute to the point that Sandy made a comment that she should get the camera and record some video. In the end, she didn't make a move for the camera and offered this rationale: as soon as I get a camera, he will stop. She was right. I grabbed her phone from beside me on the couch and the instant I got the camera running, he stopped.
If you want to spoil a moment, take the time to stop and recognize - even record - it's gravity.
When it isn't enough to just enjoy that specific station in life, and you feel the need to make note of it and in some way supplement it, it's truly fleeting nature is revealed.
For the fourth consecutive year, I helped host an all-night lock in for middle school students. We call the event "Rush," and have made a tradition out of featuring what we call "sugar rush" games throughout the night. Our reasoning was that nothing would help students push through the long night better than the regular introduction of sugar and caffeine into their young bloodstreams.
This year, we once again used a chugging contest as one of our sugar rush games. I really like this game because it is fun, cheap, and easy to get everyone involved. Everyone opens their can simultaneously to begin chugging, then they must race to drink the entire can of pop and announce the completion of their task with a burp.
This game led to my favorite moment at Rush 2010.
This year, as the first few students were finishing their drinks, I reminded them that they must burp to win. In response, one overzealous sixth grader forced a belch and overdid it. His desire to win in an emphatic fashion overcame his better judgment and his burp was accompanied by a mouthful of generic cola. After only letting a few drops out, he made his way to the bathroom with a strange combination of shame and pride.
I was, in contrast to his fellow students, was incredibly sympathetic. Their first response to this development was to ask if his burp counted or if someone else had won. My response was to explain to them, between bursts of laughter, that in this case EVERYONE was a winner.
This young guy wanted more out of his victory, pushed beyond was was reasonable, and ended up ruining the moment - for himself at least.
When my older son Jack says something funny enough for us to laugh at him, he very often repeats the phrase over and over again. It is, of course, only funny once or twice. He wants to recreate that response, but the moment is passed.
I have a feeling that my discourses on comedic timing are wasted on a 3 year old.
When you have a really special experience, the best response is to just enjoy it and wait until you are OUTSIDE of the moment to actually remember and relive it. Take these moments as they are and just enjoy them. Leave the glorification of the story for when you retell it.
After all, you push too hard in the moment and you may just end up with a bad taste in your mouth.
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