Small Doses and Such

Somewhere between a pinch and a dash is a smidgen… 

Not long ago, I invited one of my daughters to play a getting-to-know-you-better exercise with me. I thought it would be interesting to learn things about each other that we do not usually discuss. In a text message, I told her I wanted to get to know her “in small doses and such…😊💕”

Beginning with Sunday’s Smidgen and ending with Saturday’s Sliver we messaged every day for a full week, each day answering a new question. I will not reveal her answers, but I will divulge my own. Sunday’s question was weak and not that thought-provoking: What is the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? — I head to the toilet.

Monday’s Morsel uncovered more: Which TV sitcom would you like to watch as a remake/spin-off like Fuller House or That 90’s Show? We had a blast naming our respective new television shows and digitally Laughed Out Loud at our creative titles. My Everybody Loves Raymond became either “Everybody Loves Grampa Ray” or “Everybody STILL Loves Raymond.”

Tuesday’s Tidbit was originally about her favorite tattoo, but my multi-tattooed daughter could not decide which is her favorite, so I revised it to things we like to collect. I collect postcards, birdhouses, and bears, I told her. Then added that if I were to wear a tattoo, it would artfully display the Latin phrase, “Ave Crux Spes Unica”, which translates as “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope” and happens to be the motto for the order of Holy Cross priests and brothers who founded the University of Notre Dame.

Wednesday’s Whatsit asked for our favorite website. Not counting Variegated Views, mine is the New York Times WORDLE, a daily, mini crossword challenge. My phone has an app for this popular five-letter word game, and I currently hold a streak of thirty-three consecutive wins, my highest streak being 51 days. If I complete the puzzle successfully, I play SPELLING BEE and feel even more clever.

Thursday’s Thimbleful was the most perplexing question for me, but since I authored the game, I allowed myself flexibility when choosing which actress to play me in my biopic. As a youthful blonde, before I wore eyeglasses, I was told I looked like Hayley Mills (think Pollyanna and the original Parent Trap). In my mid-thirties, someone once remarked that I resembled Julia Roberts, likely because of my curly red hair and big smile, but they should have been wearing glasses!

Today, sporting platinum blonde hair in a pixie cut, I bear more of a resemblance to Judi Dench, the multi-talented British dame who has been performing for more years than I have been alive. All three actresses are fine choices and could portray me at various stages of my life. My one stipulation, however, is that Julie Andrews would dub all the singing parts because any movie about me would have to be a musical.

Friday’s Fragment was a piece of cake, one made with honey because my favorite Disney character is Winnie the Pooh. That chubby little cubby stuffed with fluff never ceases to make me smile, especially when I croon his theme song to calm a little one or imagine him ballooning up the honey tree or exercising in front of a mirror. Thanks to A.A. Milne and televised animation, we can all hum-dum-de-dum guiltlessly when it’s time for something sweet.

Here are four Pooh Bear quotes I adore:

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”

“Some people care too much. I think it’s called love.”

“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”

“Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?”

Saturday’s Sliver had me thinking of pet peeves. Annoying sounds and habits irritate me, but what bothers me more is not understanding the words of a song to which I am listening. Perhaps because I have a passion for singing, it drives me crazy when I cannot sing along because I cannot make out the lyrics.

Trivia texting was a fun, unique way of getting to know each other in mini-measures and petite portions. Like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Anna from The King and I, ♫ Day by day, I learned beautiful and new things about my daughter. It was precisely my cup of tea and made me feel free and easy and bright and breezy. ♫

I am all set for next time because Somewhere between a snippet and a nugget is a dollop.

• • What do you dislike that everyone else seems to like?
  • What do you like that everyone else seems to dislike?
  • If you could choose a new name, what would it be?
  • If you could travel to the past and change one historical event, which would it be?
  • If you could switch lives with one person for one day, who would it be?
  • Which 20th-century invention is your favorite and which could you live without?
  • When do you feel closest to God?