Wednesday 2 March 2011

Everybody needs...

Last week in Fergus’ favourite game, Halo Reach, he ranked up to Colonel. He ranks up fairly frequently so other than the usual round of woo-hoos and high fives the event kinda came and went. But late at night, in bed, he expressed his extreme disappointment in everyone for not properly celebrating this remarkable achievement. Achieving the rank of Colonel, he explained, had been his dream ever since he got the game and he thought that the day he became Colonel would be the best day of his life... but it wasn’t the best day of his life. He wanted to know if Mom was proud of him and when she asked him if he was happy and excited for himself inside himself, he said no because no one cheered or was excited for him.

Wallop!

Ferg’s determination and attention to detail in setting a goal for himself cannot be undervalued. What I find interesting is that something within him made him feel that his accomplishment was somehow less special without the appropriate level of acknowledgement from his family. Was it because we have celebrated other achievements more vociferously in the past? Or are there external influences at play - ie, has society’s claw of backslapedness reared it’s ugly head (mixed, anatomically-based, metaphor hugely intentional)?

I ponder...

Anyway, enough deep thinking... the next day Gillian made him “Colonel Cake” - basically the most decadent peanut butter desert you could come up with. It seemed to quell the previous day’s disappointment rather successfully.


And here’s what our Colonel now looks like (actually, he’s ranked up again since then, so he’s back to looking like his old self... he’s kept the tie though!):

3 comments:

Cap'n Franko said...

He and Ben Lovejoy are the two Colonels I respect! Fergus, I salute you!

mesmith said...

Whoa - cool! I just told Ferg that you mentioned this. His eyes lit up. But then he reminded me, matter-of-factly, that HE'S now a Col Grade One!!!

Zenmomma said...

Tell the colonel I said congratulations! Job well done sir.