"Say 'Pencil'"

"Say 'Pencil'," said my little one as we traveled between cities in the car.

I knew the moment I said 'pencil,' she would shoot back with 'Teri shaadi cancel.' We used to play such games during my primary school years as well. I considered replying with it, but I decided to play along. So, I said, "Pencil." She immediately grinned and said, "Tera bura hona cancel." Now, I was very tempted to tell her what the original reply was, but I kept it to myself.

"Say 'Seven,'" she had the next word lined up already. This was definitely going to be 'Your pants have fallen,' followed by a giggle. "Seven," I said, with the innocence of a 5-year-old. "You are in heaven," this time she jumped a bit in her seat, mirroring her grin. "Damn," I thought to myself.

"Okay, last one. Say 'Eight'." Now, there was no doubt in my mind—it had to be 'You are always late.' I'd teased my school pals with that countless times. "Eight," I said. "You have good faith," she shot back, then turned to look out of the window with a triumphant and satisfied expression.

While it might be too much to read into, my immediate thought was how every line I thought of—and of course, it was based on my school days experience—was a negative statement. The fun was in mocking other kids with a mean line. Though perhaps it was all harmless fun and jokes, it was interesting that all her responses were positive. I'm not sure who she picked it up from at school, but it was indeed a nice upgrade from the things we used to say during our school times.

Positivity can radiate from the smallest of things, sometimes erasing even harmless negativity.

Nine. Hope your week is going exceedingly fine.