Number Step One

Those who have read some of my other blog posts may have gathered that I have three nephews, whom I absolutely adore, and play an integral role in making my life a happy one.  Our lives are composed of moments and people that impact us; these interactions shape and change us as we move forward through our lives.  Some people may only have a brief interlude, and certainly some moments are more impactful than others.  Of course, there will always be a core group of people who have a constant steady presence, and for me, my nephews number amongst those having the most consistent and profound impacts on my life.  My middle nephew, Nicholas, who prefers to be called Nicky, has indoctrinated himself into my daily routines with a unique numbering system he coined when he was just a little boy.

Nicky is incredibly intelligent.  (I know I could be accused of being an overly adoring aunt for making this statement, but it is true!)  This causes him to approach life in a very pragmatic manner.  I remember when Nicky was around four-years-old, we were building a LEGO set together and he pulled out the instructions.  Somewhat like an old man shaking out his newspaper, he started perusing them and getting to the first instruction announced, "number step one."  It was very definitive and has stuck with me, becoming incorporated into my daily vocabulary as a part of anything that is a step-by-step process.  What better way to stay focused when getting ready, dressed, and up in my wheelchair than to utilize Nicky's numbering method: number step one, number step two, and number step three.

This is what we call Number Step Complete!

Although Nicky often views things as black or white, good or bad, fun or stupid, he also has a wonderful carefree nature.  He is never afraid to be uniquely himself, and embraces being goofy and silly, delighting in every opportunity to introduce levity into any situation.  Nicky is frequently guilty of making googly eyes which send his younger brother, Porter, into fits of giggles.  Just the other day Nicky gave me cause to chuckle over something he said while once again putting together a LEGO set.  He told me that grown-ups are weird, because they always laugh at things he says, clearly recognizing that the laughter is affectionate, but not yet understanding how much delight we derive from his unadulterated child's perspective on life.

It is easy to try and categorize people as one thing versus another, much like Nicky does when he is being pragmatic.  Yet, he is often a delightful mixture of multiple aspects of his personality.  On one occasion, when he was just a toddler, his definitive nature was combined with his silly side while eating some sort of fruit flavored Cheerios.  He was sorting out the flavors he liked from the ones he did not, pushing the ones he did not like into a pile boldly declaring, "disgusting guy."  There was just something incredibly funny in the way that he named them disgusting guys and very clearly designated them as inedible, in a manner that only be described as purely Nicky. 

It is these little things which have the most profound impact, just small turns of phrase colored with the innocence of youth that continue to bring a smile to my face, causing them to have been incorporated into my daily vocabulary.  In the end, that seems like the most profound impact a person can have.  The things Nicky said in passing as a young boy have become a part of my daily life — and I would not have it any other way!