The Eyes of a Young Child

The other day while visiting some dear friends of mine, I found myself the subject of an intensely-interested stare from their little one.  That stare intrigued me at first for no other reason than the fact that I could hardly imagine blinking so few times without my eyes becoming dehydrated.

In order to illustrate my point, I offer you a picture of a young child staring:

What innocent joy, eh?  Also, now you and I have the same image in our heads for the point I wish to make.

For later, as I reflected upon a baby's stare from another angle, I began to compare its selflessness to my own self-consciousness.  A young child has no difficulty staring you right in the eyes for long periods of time, but it makes me uncomfortable.

At times, I find myself wordless in the company of friends or strangers.  I have a longing desire to connect deeply, but I cannot find the path.  Feeling my own inadequacy, I therefore find myself shying away from meeting the other's eyes, as if I should find therein the same condemnation I find in my own heart.

Yet what if we could truly become like little children?  I wonder if we could then find the courage to stare in appreciation of the other's worth and unique beauty, forgetting ourselves....