Nemesis

We all have a nemesis. For some shyness may be our nemesis. For others a lack of education may be our nemesis. In the most rare cases, a person’s nemesis may be a big dangerous guy named El Guapo that wants to kill them.

A nemesis isn’t always a bad thing. The struggle makes you stronger and there are fewer moments of excitement and relief when a nemesis is finally overcome.

My daughter’s nemesis is the light switch. Her twin brother has been able to turn lights on, but not off, for a month or so. She is a couple of inches shorter and cannot quite make the distance. It’s made her quite sad.

She kept asking, “When I’m older can I reach the light switch?”  Yes.  But, somewhere, between a hectic tea party schedule and day dreams of palaces, she got the idea that on her birthday she would be older and therefore able to turn on the lights.

On her birthday, she came out of her room upset and found me. The first thing she said was, “Daddy, it’s my birthday and I still can’t reach the lights.”

It was sad. And, very funny.

One day she’ll reach the lights. And, when she can, she will beam and scream and tell everyone she knows that she can turn on the lights. The house will never be dark again, because she won’t be able to turn them off. It will be a great day for all of us.

In the meantime she stills turns the light on and off, despite not being tall enough. How? Magic. Someone gave her a star-shaped wand. The center of the star is hollow. She places the star over the light switch and turns it on. And, off. Even her brother can’t do that.

It may upset her now, but the day her nemesis falls to her superior height growing tactics will be the most exciting ever, so far, of all time.