You know about how I like to find the fun in everything I do?* Well, we have a rule in our house that if you are taking something off a table that someone else is sitting at – say if you are eating french fries in the living room and you need the ketchup off the kitchen table where your parents are sitting – you must say zoink when you snatch the ketchup from the table. It is also advisable to do the snatching quite quickly for added comedic effect.
Now this isn’t a situation where politeness would be required. It’s not like when we are all at the table and the kids are asking one of us to pass the ketchup. This is when no one is using the bottle and it doesn’t need to be passed and they don’t need permission to retrieve it. It’s just a fun and funny way to acknowledge that they are taking it.
I’m using the kids as an example in this case, but we all do it (and several of our friends do too) and we are likely to remind anyone who forgets their zoink. In fact, I have made a jokingly big production to at least one of the kids’ friends:
‘Excuse me, T, but did you just take the Pepsi off the table?’
‘Oh, yes, sorry. Is it okay?’
‘Well, it’s okay, you can have all the Pepsi you like, it’s just that you forgot to zoink.’
‘Oh!’ T places Pepsi back on the table, then removes it again while saying ‘Zoink!’
‘Carry on!’ I say and return to my book.**
There’s a lot of fun to be had when both parties are pretending to be deadly serious about something that you are goofing around about. And I do love it when people play along with my goofiness or indulge my nonsense. Luckily, I have surrounded myself with people like that and I keep finding more.
Turns out that silly people are everywhere, as long as you keep your eyes open for them. I have a lot of luck with little kids that way, they love to be silly with a grown-up*** especially if they then get to turn around and be the sensible one and tell you that marshmallow cars won’t actually work because they would be too sticky (to pick some a recent example of intelligence I have gathered).
So, my question for you at Zero hour, at the Zenith of the A-Z challenge, when you have no more Zest for writing about the alphabet: Do you zoink your ketchup off the table like a proper goofball or do you just carry it off like a regular person?
Zut,alors! I certainly hope you are answering with ZOINK!
*Fun is one of the ruling principles of my life. I highly recommend it. Check out my F post for more details.
** Yes, my kids’ friends indulge my nonsense. I don’t know if they enjoy it or if they have just given up. I like to pretend it is enjoyment. 🙂
***For the record, I always make sure to meet the eyes of the parent so they know that I am just being goofy. I don’t want them to think that I am trying to befriend their kid for nefarious purposes.