I’m way overdue in responding to Laura’s meme tag. Been thinking about it a lot, if that counts.
This could also be titled, 6 things I love about Jonah, but I realized that if the world would take his lead on this stuff, we’d all be better people.
1. Smile widely. Not just showing more teeth. (Anyway, Jonah doesn’t have any teeth!) We’re talking split your face open, mouth-agape grinning. Be sure to arch your tongue up slightly and let the tip protrude out over your bottom lip a touch. Raise eyebrows also. Best if accompanied with a vigorous chuckle that emphasizes the inhale.
2. Smile at yourself in the mirror. What do you usually do and think when you catch your reflection in the mirror? Jonah takes about a second to realize he’s come upon a mirror, and that there’s someone in it. And then he smiles (refer to above) like he’s just run into the best most awesome person in the world. Someone whom he is so excited to see, he sometimes bumps his head on the mirror, trying to get into it to give him a big old hug. Try feeling that way about yourself (just pretend at first, until it becomes a habit) every time you catch your reflection.
3. Wag your tail. Since humans don’t have tails, Jonah wags his feet. More precisely, he rubs them together like a grasshopper — if one foot is accessible to the other — or wags them in tandem if being carried in a split-leg carrier or otherwise encumbered. These wags signal pleasure and excitement. A more pensive wagging is achieved by the simple ankle circling of one foot. How interesting would adult interactions be if we could add this type of expression to our gesture repertoire?
4. When life gives you drool, gargle. I’m sure if he could talk, he’d be the first to tell us that teething is a drag. And yet, all that extra drool makes for excellent gargling material. Best if the gargle can be extended out over several notes, for a wet-warbling melody. Do not worry about getting drool on your shirt. It will dry.
5. Taste everything. Foods, books, stuffed animals, napkins, other people’s noses. Yes, yes, metaphorically taste life. But also, if possible, literally. Into the mouth. Much information can be gathered this way. Mouthing things is so inherently satisfying. Especially round things, squishy things, thick-edged paper things. We might actually lose weight if we could chew on more stuff besides food. Adult “soothies” could be a great new business opportunity. (I guess that would also be “gum,” but I’d rather see us all walking around with big brightly colored rubber pacifiers on long ornate beaded chains hanging out of our mouths.)
6. Mirror other people (this takes two to play). Whole books have been written on how affirming it feels when someone mirrors you. Jonah does it like this: Study the face of the person, preferably in close proximity. The person should be talking or otherwise moving mouth and tongue, making sounds. Start by moving your mouth in the shapes you see theirs moving. Alternate eye contact and intensive mouth examination. Make a sound. Now the second person imitates that sound. Both people may take time in examining and copying. Jonah usually responds at this point with delight (see 1 through 3 above). The second person may also respond with delight. Repeat as needed.
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Previous meme posts with random lists:
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What are your 6 things? Read the rules at Laura’s blog, and use the comments field below if you don’t blog. In fact, I’d like to hear 6 things from people I KNOW are reading but rarely or never comment, like Marcia, Kat, Lisa, Melanie, Kathy and Meg — if you want to!