Innocence is bliss

Sometimes I think that children are the only reason the world goes on. As I was walking through the store the other day, I felt oppressed by the state of the lives I saw around me. Glancing through the narrow little windows that people construct into who they are by their cell phone conversations or coffee discussions, I could see anger, confusion, lost hope, resignation, endless hurt. The people I passed by with tightly drawn foreheads, condemning eyes, and frustrated voices dragged my spirits further down. No encouragement, no patience. Each person walked past their fellow human being without a thought or care. And that is life, it's the norm. But then a little head bobbed by, just below my line of sight, short brown curls bouncing as the little thing went along through the store. There was a smile dimpling his round cheeks, and exuberant words and questions bubbled from his mouth. His mom tugged his hand gently to keep him next to her as his feet wove in zigzags, making a walk down the dish soap aisle a dizzying adventure. His joy, and the overflowing life he had held my despair at bay for a moment. Then there was a tiny little laugh, and a milder giggle echoed it. A mother was holding her baby girl; a perfect, soft baby who was looking up at her mother with clear, sparkling eyes. Such a tiny thing who was so beautiful and pure, so weak and protected. But I couldn't help but think how she wasn't going to stay that way. These wonderful little beings aren't tainted by the dark and the disfigured things of our world. So to watch as they lose little pieces of innocence - and even as I see where I have tasted fruits from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, is saddening. I want my innocence restored, my child eyes given back.