She giggled as she slid her mozzarella stick across her plate and through a pile of ketchup. As she lifted the mozzarella stick to her mouth she smiled for just a moment before she opened her mouth as widely as she could and stuffed the half eaten mozzarella stick into her mouth.
Her body wiggled on the bench as she enjoyed the food trying desperately to chew the enormous mouthful of food. Her mother and father sat next to her at the table visiting with family. I was lost in her energy and not paying attention to the conversation.
She broke out into giggles as she bit part of the mozzarella stick and played with the remaining bite between her lips. She looked from side to side trying to show her food to anyone who would notice. The remaining bite sat gently between her lips as giggles exploded from her body. One may think that laughter only comes from our voice but they would be wrong, it comes from every ounce of our being and she was proving it. Absolute joy and giggles flowed freely from her tiny body. We locked eyes for just a moment and the twinkle in her eye made my heart open without trying.
Her father gently reminded her that food isn’t to be played with. She slipped the remaining bite into her mouth and continued to giggle at herself, pleased with her experience. I got lost in thought as the rest of the family went on with whatever the conversation was that they were having.
Isn’t it easy? Isn’t it easy to play as a child, I thought to myself. She reminded me that play is natural and that we can find play in absolutely everything if we just allow it. She wiggled in her seat as she slid another mozzarella stick around her plate and through the ketchup. She giggled intensely with the exact giggle that I had heard from her father since I was a child. This time, she didn’t play with her food between her lips but it didn’t stop her from enjoying the experience. I sat watching her and recognizing that play is just so easy. I find myself a playful person and identify as someone who can play easily but she was mirroring back to me that she was far better at this than I. She pursed her lips and grinned at me across the table and then gently leaned over and put her head on my mothers shoulder, who was sitting next to her. She rubbed her body against my mother who kissed her forehead and welcomed the loving contact. As I watched her, I thought to myself, isn’t it easy? Love comes so easily to children.
Life is a funny thing, we as adults think that we are teaching children, but what if they are really teaching us? What if we listened as much as we spoke? What if we allowed their lessons to us to be as loud as ours to them? Wouldn’t life be easy if we could play and love as easily as a child?