Lyla was the life of the party. She would dance with random people, clap to the beat, and smile all the time. And her joy was contagious, except for those few in the crowd who dislike children, but those people are unhappy anyway.
There was one guy sitting nearby who had arms full of tattoos. Lyla saw his tattoos and decided to walk up to him and show her nice temporary tattoo. In her two-year-old mind, they shared a love for tattoos. A kid, through their joy and innocence, can bring everyone closer together.
In my recent studies on finding and fostering community, I ran across a quote in The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community
that made me think of Lyla on Saturday night:Children, I suspect, are instinctively attuned to the climate of human relations around them and experience an inner joy and serenity, a feeling that all is well when the adults in their lives relax and laugh in one another's company.May we learn to live in community like our children.
