Unconventional Wisdom

As a result of my ailing computer and a sincere desire to procrastinate, I spent a good portion of my morning having some much needed girl chat - with my 4-year-old niece. Her father was busy having grown-up talk with his brother, so I was delighted to indulge in some not-so-grown-up talk of our own. My reward was remembering what it was like to spend my days innocently pondering everything from why dogs eat their own puke (come on, don't we all still wonder?!) to what I would buy with the dollar my uncle gave me.

My niece offered wisdom on these and many other topics; I offer this knowledge in her words:

Dogs eat their own puke because sometimes they want to, sometimes they don't.

A dollar should be spent on food - like a bag of tootsie rolls, M&M's, or cheeseballs from Dawg's cafe. But don't eat the whole bag if you buy candy - you'll throw up. Just like if you eat a whole bag of anything, you'll throw up (see, good advice, right?)

If it's windy outside, don't BOTHER brushing your hair!

If someone's snoring keeps you awake, just pull their eyes open and tell them to stop.

Always use a floaty in the big pool, otherwise you'll drown.

Uncle Tyler needs to eat more bananas before they get brown!

Cinderella is pretty, but Jasmine is cooler (that's Aladin, remember?)

And my personal favorite:

Try to take a nap, even if you don't want to. Otherwise you'll feel bad.

As I watched her hurriedly trot back home (across the street), struggling to keep up with her dad's lunging steps, I was left with a fresh, simple outlook on my day - minus having to later try to convince her that candy is bad for her, her hair needs brushed and Uncle Tyler doesn't appreciate having his eyes pulled open when he's snoozing on the couch. I love being an aunt!