Little Buddhy

(Lila kisses her new Buddha)


One of the stolen items from our home last month was a little buddha trinket that we gave away at our wedding. We went to Chinatown last weekend for Dim Sum, and across from the restaurant was a little souvenir shop, so while Daddy got the car, Lila and I went to buy a new one.

As I carried her into the cramped store, I told her quietly, "we're looking for a new buddha." "Budd-hah!" She exclaimed loud enough so that the 6 or so heads in the store already turned to look. Sensing an audience, Lila said it again: "Budd-hah!" The Chinese storekeepers burst out laughing, and the Chinese patrons gathered around. I showed Lila a buddha statue, and on cue she pointed and said, "Budd-hah! Budd-hah, budd-hah, budd-hah!" Oh, the "It's a Small World" moment we all shared then! One of the storekeepers even went in back to drag an elderly relative out to hear Lila's clear pronunciation, and everyone chattered in Chinese around us, pointing, smiling and exclaiming at Lila's random precociousness (prior to this, her most precocious stunt had been the fact that she had all her teeth at 10 months). We bought 3 new buddhas at 99 cents each, and were ushered out of the store to applause and laughter.

All transactions should be such fun.