Monday, June 28, 2010

Diagnosis, Please

Nobody at our place contracted World Cup fever, exactly, but it's still fun to wake up where we live and think there's already a score to check, then to ponder its meaning. How is it, for instance, that some of the world's most populous countries don't amount to much when it comes to soccer? Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan - all W.C. no-shows. Both finalists from four years ago (Italy and France) are flops this year. What's up with that? And what do they put in the water in some countries, small ones like Uruguay or Ghana, that enables them to outperform their proper fifteen minutes of fame? And why only one Muslim nation, the forgettable Algeria? North Korea may not have looked very good, but they had to beat someone to qualify, right?
Anyway, it's fun to throw around terms like "group of death" and "own goal" while they're still relevant. It'll all be over soon enough. If anyone cares, my picks have an edge over the Mrs.' She has the Dutch and Spain, while I have South American heavies Brazil and Argentina, backed by the Deutsch, I mean, Germany. We both had some non-achievers, too.

My ecclesiastical duties take me each month to a home dominated by unwed moms, though none are teens anymore. The product of one dubious union is a three year-old boy named Draven (Who thinks these up?) who doesn't talk much, though he seems to be a happy enough kid. He naturally has only a fuzzy idea of what "Daddy" is, and I couldn't really make predictions about his future. He's happy and healthy, so it could be worse.
I found out something about him last week that really surprised me. He's really good at...assembling puzzles. I saw him put together one with about 50 pieces, all about the size of my thumbnail, featuring Mickey Mouse and pals. I was told he helped put together one behemoth puzzle of about a thousand pieces, something I could never do at a comparable age.
So, here's my question. Is there a name for this kind of kid, and what is it? Has anyone famous ever answered to this description? Is he doomed to sorting parts in the Service Department of a local car dealer, or could he aspire to becoming an engineer who still doesn't say much, but provides answers that help things go smoother? Perhaps there's no clinical name for this kind of little boy at just yet. Nevertheless, I'm asking for a diagnosis, please.

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