A Litte Girl’s Smile

I am on a plane, ensconced in my seat. My kindle is in the seat back pocket, but at the moment I am half-heartedly looking at the in-flight magazine and watching my fellow passengers board.  A family comes down the aisle, slowly but calmly and patiently, being led by a young girl, I'm guessing, somewhere around 2 years of age.  She walks purposefully and deliberately, smiling, stopping each time she passes someone.  She says hi and waves her hand.  Her eyes sparkle.  One by one we all respond with a smile or a word or two, perhaps a little wave.  

Later.

We have landed.  Many of us are standing against the wall along one side of the jet bridge waiting for our gate-checked bags to appear.  The same young family eventually leaves the plane and makes their way up toward the terminal.  The little girl stops by each person she passes, looks up, smiles, and says bye-bye.  One by one we smile in response.  One young man, preoccupied with whatever he is typing on his cellphone, fails to notice.  The girl, surrounded by her family, innocently believing that the young man shares her desire to say goodbye, tugs lightly on his pants, looks up, and once again says bye-bye; he looks up temporarily startled, looks down, and smiles. 

Innocence and joy.  What a lovely gift.

Of course the girl will grow up.  In a couple of years she will begin to perceive that other people's understanding of a situation can be different her own, that their motives can be different as well, that they might not have her best interests at heart.  This is a necessary part of development, of being able to connect with other people fully, of developing empathy, but also of protecting oneself, of decoding the complicated dance of personal and social signals we humans use with each other.  My wish is that she is surrounded with love, that she is nurtured, that she is able to develop resiliency and strength.  I hope she can hold on to trust.

It is good, sometimes, to be reminded of what life could be if we trusted more and feared less.