Choosing a Mantra

According to those who use a mantra while meditating:

"The chosen word (of the mantra) should represent the Divine Reality or Deity of the individual according to his religious belief or the chosen stanza should reflect the ethical and spiritual values of the individual. The word is so chosen that it draws aspirant’s attention to the Spiritual Reality during the (meditation)."

Things are different for toddlers. They have their own rules for choosing the proper word or phrase as their mantra. The key seems to be current events. E's current favorite is "What happened?" of course there is "What doin'?" and the all time favorite "da dat?" (what's that? for those in need of a translation.) All are delivered in an inquisitive tone with that soft lift in his voice as he finishes. I'm generally patient with E. I've grown much more patient since he was born, but this new phase is testing the limits.

"What happened?" he asks as he points to the construction equipment and orange barrels lining the road near our house. I explain that they are building a road. The answer is unsatisfactory. The mantra appears.

No matter how hard I try I cannot come up with the right answer. The answer that will make the mantra stop. My best bet is to distract him the way Marlin distracts Dory in 'Finding Nemo', "Oh look, something shiny." It rarely works but it is worth a try.