A Child's Happiness

The light in my candle flickers, startled by the sound of children cheering. I smile at the occurrence, grateful to hear a child’s excitement. Without checking, I imagine they are playing a game before dinner on the streets below my apartment building. A minute or so passes and another wave of enthusiasm reaches my ears. And another, and another. It becomes so regular that my interest is piqued and I take a moment to see the cause of commotion. I open the door to my balcony and my eyes immediately follow the echo of excitement which leads to a dozen or so children standing on the stairs of a nearby building. They are waving at what appears to be my direction, and I realize there must be a couple friends of mine on our outside terrace, waving back. Within a minute, I am joining these friends and upon my entering, the children applaud at the arrival of another. We raise our hands up and eagerly signal back to them. I notice that the children on the stairs are not alone in their willingness to make contact with us. There are a few children on the streets beneath us, and on the rooftops across, also waving. Together, they jump up and down, they laugh and yelp in innocent joy only a child possesses. It is only through a few hand gestures and giggles that our worlds are bridged. We are too far away to make out anyone’s individual features but it is enough that we just exist. That we stand, and that we are.
That night, they raced across the bridge with a present of delight. They sent me a surge of energy through the space between us, one that is safe within the memory and can be called upon at any moment. A memory that lasted but a couple minutes, but one that reminded me of the simplicity and purity of a child’s view. That a connection with others could be a reason alone for thrill and for indeed, fun. And when I think of the memory and feel the surge once again, I think children often have more logic than the rest of us. The human bond can be enough to obtain happiness.