SO, WHAT THE HELL IS A PUPFUBAUM?

som⋅er⋅sault (sŭm'ər-sôlt')

–noun

1. 1.an acrobatic movement, either forward or backward, in which the body rolls end over end, making a           complete revolution.
   

2. such a movement performed in the air as part of a dive, tumbling routine, etc.

3. a complete overturn or reversal, as of opinion.

–verb (used without object)

4. 4.to perform a somersault.
   

= German:

Pur⋅zel⋅baum, der [eigtl. = Sturz u. Aufbäumen, zu →purzeln u. →bäumen] (ugs.)

= La Nenish:

pup⋅fu⋅baum

1. 1.an acrobatic movement, exclusively forward, in which the body rolls end over end, sometimes making a complete revolution, and sometimes falling over sideways, resulting in either: mad giggles, or: disappointment and tears.
   

2. 2.a perfect description of life.
   

In July 2009, our family was invited to a BBQ, where a suckling pig was slowly roasting on a revolving stake. It was an ugly sight to behold: its eyes were gauged out, it’s belly was cut up from chest to pelvis, to allow for copious amounts of stuffing inside, and closed again with a bunch of rather Frankenstein-ish stitches. The stake was inserted through the mouth and exited the poor baby pig through its butt. It was like something right out of a little culinary chamber of horrors. But oh, it smelled delicious!

Wanting to shield my daughter of such cruel realities of life, I tried all afternoon to keep her out of sight of the revolving piglet. At this point, she knew pigs only from her books and from the zoo, and she knew how to imitate a pig’s voice, and oh! They are so cute! Oh, the emotional damage she would suffer, would she lay her eyes upon this very, very dead ex-pig that would soon end up in our bellies...

She was sufficiently distracted, until cake and coffee was served on a table right within line of sight of the piglet. I couldn’t keep her eyes off of it anymore... and had to watch her fascinated, concentrated gaze upon it instead. She was staring, intently, not to be deterred even by the piece of cake on a plate in front of her. I could see the little wheels inside her head spinning, she was clearly working on what she saw, and I was wondering what she was thinking. Was she seeing death? Was she worried about what’s happening to the cute baby pig?

After a while, everybody else was busy with the cake, she finally came to her conclusion, looked up from where she was sitting on my lap, and announced loudly into the complete silence, and with clear pride at having figured out what was going on:

“Schwein – Pupfubaum!!!”

(“pig – somersault!!!”)

INDEED, LITTLE GIRL!

One can only learn from this innocent, creative, and positive view on the realities of life. Besides, what is life if not a series of somersaults, through the good, the bad, and when things are becoming really ugly on the revolving stake, anyway?