Two to the rescue

I have to tell you the lesson I learned from Leela about the importance of twos. It is an interesting lesson, one that could have a practical application or perhaps open a deep philosophical inquiry. Either way, you will surely see something the way you haven’t before.

The lesson is this: keep two’s of everything. Play and permutate.

Leela likes to feed herself. She asks for the spoon if we try to feed her. She’s ten months old and has a fine grip over her motor skills. She takes the spoon from our hands and the food slips, slops or slides into her mouth in various quantities. Sometimes, she makes generous offerings to her clothes or the floor. She wants to feed us too, and makes sure we take a bite from her. She also chucks the spoon as far as she can when she wants to please herself. After picking up the spoon from the floor, wash and give it back to her, only to repeat the cycle another fifty times, Unni and I discovered a new dance, the tango.

Two spoons.

When the red hits the dirt, the blue is brought out. When blue takes a toll, red falls in.

Like tango, we have perfected this dance of the two. A steady supply of food went into Leela’s mouth or fell short of it. I could manage to sneak in a couple of extra minutes to attend to a pot on the stove.

Baths are no different. She grabs the mug I use to pour water on her and wants to pour water herself. While I let her do it, some water actually manages to wet her tiny baby back because I use another one.

Soap speaks the same story. Indeed, I have two bars of baby soap disintegrated to practically the same size with this tango of ours. As one slips out of her wet fingers, into the suds, out comes another, and the rainbow pool once again rollicks to her thud thuds in the water.

Learning from the above experiences, we quickly adopted this into our list of life hacks for new parents. Miss grabby hands can grab all she wants.

One for distraction, two to the purpose. If one doesn’t reach, surely two will. One to the earth, one to my little one.

Try this out: when your baby begins to grab the diapers during change, give it to her. Put another one on her, while she plays with the first.

When she grabs the comb that you comb her with, bring the good brush out and untangle that wild baby hair.

We are better because of this, because we find ourselves not getting frustrated over Leela taking over our material world, inch by inch. It helps us iterate, better our process, improve our speed, negotiate and as designers, these are the skills we need everyday. It helps us suspend our obsession with the first, makes us unattached and ready for another.

I have a new liking for things in pairs.

The mysterious one wields when two.