I saw this sweet little girl at Starbucks today, maybe 18 months, 20 months max … she was full of giggles, which were more like gurgles since she never took her pacifier out of her mouth. She teasingly tugged at her dad’s pant leg while he waited for his order at the pickup counter. For her, all was right with the world.
Until her dad picked her up and then set her down into the big easy chair, just a few steps away.
“Stay there, honey, I’ll be right back,” he said reassuringly.
Though the man didn’t go but eight feet away from her chair to await his coffee from the barista, you could see his tiny daughter’s cheerful face cloud over into a storm of anxiety the second he stepped away. She never took her eyes off him—not once—as though afraid he might disappear and leave her there alone in Starbucks forever.
And then, how much leg-kicking, giggling joy when he got his order and came back over to her!
Though he had been gone less than 10 seconds—and was never more than 10 feet away, and never out of sight—the cup-runneth-over joy that she greeted him with on his return was greater than the joy you’d see in the countenance of a war bride upon seeing her combat hubby returning from his tour of duty.
Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if we all felt so free to express ourselves to others.
On the other hand … have you seen the rage of an angry toddler?
Maybe it’s good that we aren’t so free with our feelings as adults.
Starbucking 