"i shall call him squishy and he shall be mine... and he shall be my squishy (Dory - from Finding Nemo)

One of my favouritist things to do is to lie belly down on my bed and write. Or read. Or sleep. Anything that takes very little effort. At the moment Roanne is singing "A you're adorable, B you're so beautiful, C you're a cutie full of chaaarm..." Hahaha... thanks sis. You weirdo. That's why I love you and that's why we get along.

Recently I discovered the maddest play-friend neighbour who has just as much fun throwing pop-rocks on the ground as I do. =) I like people who I can have childish fun with. Soon I will introduce him to the magic of popping candy and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books. I think I shall call him Squishy. He's one of those people who I wanna chase around the backyard, bash up and laugh at - but only because he's fun to be around. There is one side of him that is childishly ignorant and vague, whilst another is maliciously in-the-know - and he uses his in-the-know powers to win fights against me. Yesterday he gave me the most incredulous look because of the uncanny level of excitement I had from a simple Toys R Us balloon. I explained to him that it doesn't take much to make me happy - give me 5 minutes of childhood memories and I will keep smiling for the entire day.

Another recent discovery (or really it was a re-discovery or re-realisation) is my theory of the source of most of our uncomfortability and frustration is that we just don't belong here. We weren't made to be here... we belong somewhere much better.

Perhaps that's why I find so much satisfaction when I think of being a kid again. Back at our old 1 storey house, my backyard was anything from my bike track to a Amazon forest, and 18th century town, a jungle full of fierce pagan warriors or even heaven (I do remember pretending that the clothes line was God's throne once...) Kids have the right idea when they play make-believe because it's like they're acting out the very instinct that they're not meant to be on this earth... that there's something more exciting and fantastic elsewhere, beyond our reach but very close to our fingertips.

I often wonder how God feels when he watches us try and try to make things more comfortable and more convenient for ourselves. Part of me thinks he is laughing at our futile attempts. Another part of me thinks he is heartbroken, because so many people don't realise that the answer to all our discomfort and frustration is going to be born in just under two weeks.

Anyway, back to this play friend of mine - Squishy. I swear this guy is hilarious. Cute and sometimes a bit on the quiet side... but mainly hilarious. Reminds me to keep things simple. To appreciate things like chocolate ice cream, enormous mangoes for dessert, and music by bands I haven't discovered yet.

I often wonder what will happen when this friend of mine grows up, and if things will be the same or feel the same when he realises that I'm in my twenties and still facinated by Disney movies and Widget the World Watcher. I wonder what he'll think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when he turns 30. Or if he'll even remember those things of childhood. Like those bands you slapped onto your wrists, and hyper-colour t-shirts and the basketball ring in his backyard (one thing I always asked for but never actually got... what a shame!)

In the midst of our laughable conversations I ask him, "What on earth am I going to do with you?!" and he shyly replies with, "Uh...Pray?" And my heart melts and I smile and say a prayer about him growing up so one day I can give him hugs on the couch and we can watch TV without having to worry about what time he has to go home.