Hey, Ezio, my tiny Dude, this one's for you!
I
Love Origami. It is a skill sets I've devoted years of work to
mastering. I find it so awesome to take a square piece of paper and make
something cool out of it. And they make great gifts! When my Mother's
favourite parrot Bizzy Bird died, her other parrot Pow Bird was lonely.
So I folded a parrot for her to sit outside his cage, and Pow Bird now
talks to the paper Bizzy Bird as if he'd never left!
A few weeks
ago, one of my closest friends, Wolf, asked me to fold a few models for
his five-year-old Nephew, Ezio. Ezio has autism, and Wolf thought that
Origami folds would be something new that he'd enjoy.
I folded
about a half-dozen models for Ezio, among them a Fox -- one of my
personal favourites. I was told after they arrived that Ezio Loved them,
and I was happy to hear it. I thought that was the end of that. Good
deed done, Happy-Happy-Joy-Joy Thoughts of super-cool-awesome Yesness
all around! Yayness!
...Yeah, if only! In The Kyle's world, it's never that simple!
Imagine
my surprise when, about two weeks later, Wolf approaches me and asks me
if I can make another Fox for Ezio. Of course I immediately agreed and
inquired as to why (as a matter of pure curiosity) Wolf wanted me to
fold another Fox. Wolf informed me that Ezio has decided that the Fox I
folded for him belongs in his hand. At ALL times! According to his
Mother, Ezio now comes home from Kindergarten, drops his backpack, and
picks up two things which then do not leave his hands for any reason
without the Universe suffering a Space-Brat scale tantrum: his tablet
and the Fox! As a result of the constant death grip he has on his
favourite Origami model, it's gotten a little...grubby. ^_^ You know how
five year olds are when they decide something is their favourite.
So
of course I'm going to fold him another Fox. In fact, until he decides
he doesn't want any more, I'm going to fold as many Foxes as he can
strangle with his adorable little death grip!
But here's the
thing. When I folded the models for him, I had no idea he'd take to them
so keenly, or that they'd mean so much to him. I mean, I folded them as
a gift to a child I don't know, because a close friend asked me to.
It's not the first time I've folded by request (I tell all my pen pals
that if they send me the instructions I'll fold them anything they
want!), but this is the first time I've been told my folds meant so much
to someone else. All it is is a paper model with a cute face drawn on
it, and it's become little Ezio's favourite thing in the world.
This
has caused me to stop and think. Honestly, I've never felt so
validated in my life! Like anyone else, I've always wanted to be
acknowledged for the skill sets I've devoted so much of my time to
mastering, but Ezio is the most unexpected source of validation I could
have ever imagined!
Leave it to a five year old to make all the
hours you've spent learning to fold tiny squares of paper into animals
worth every single second, and make every papecut you've ever suffered a
worthwhile sacrifice.
Today, Thursday, VII ii 2018ce, for his
unknowing gift of making me feel as awesome as The Minions movie, I and
everyone here at Cheshire Industries enthusiastically salute Ezio as one
of the truest, hoopiest froods ever to don a pair of Baby Sketchers,
and certainly 27 kinds of super-cool-awesome that easily leaves all
other kiddies choking in his dust. Ezio is definitely our kind of
mini-people!
The preceding message has been brought to you by
Cheshire Industries and is sponsored by one hell of a super-cool-awesome
kid named Ezio; Origami Lovers everywhere; and is brought to you by the
number 5. Thank you.
I AM The Kyle and I approved this message!
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