Sitting across from me at the tiny table was Noah, a shy girl who disappeared under the table every time I spoke to her (I would have crawled under the table myself, but I was afraid it would wrap itself around me, tiny as it was, and I would have to go home with a table for a hat!) But thanks to chubby Ted who could not be squeezed into the cage, I managed to introduce myself to her and Rebecca, and also get a vicarious hug through him! Thanks Ted! And then along came little Oscar, with beautiful blue eyes, and hair the colour of straw (well, he was right there in the room, but I had not noticed him until then), who told me with pride 'I can do a paper airplane! My dad taught me how to!' 'Hmmm! (I thought, looking at him!) that must be one cute dad you've got!' I smiled at him sweetly, and he disappeared again. A couple of minutes later I saw him at one of the other tiny tables, armed with paper and some markers, all set to fly away. I went and I settled in beside him and managed to tuck my legs under that little table, all the while hoping it wouldn't break! I noticed he was drawing something. 'What is that?' I asked him. 'That's me!' he said. 'And who's the other person'? 'You' he said! (I sighed with relief! He didn't draw a barrel instead with two eyes, and a nose!!!!) He then proceeded to make a paper plane out of that sheet.
We were engrossed trying to figure out how exactly to fold the paper in the shape of a plane (poor little Oscar was rather confused! If only his dad were there to help us!), and then I felt a tug on my sleeve. And there was Megan, and she wanted a paper plane, too! I said, 'Sure, let us make one'! But Megan had no idea how to do it! So I struggled a bit until Patrick (another guy who was flying paper planes in another part of the room) came and stood by us with his paper plane. I grabbed it and tried to figure out how to make one :), and yes! I succeeded! But Megan wasn't satisfied. She wanted to 'decorate it' (those were her words!). And she went on to decorate it with ... windows!!!
I spent an hour with these little angels, but no two minutes were the same (like one of the office staff told me, 'No two days are the same'!). The hour flew by quickly, like Patrick's paper plane. The innocence of these children was infectious. I did not feel 30 years old at all! I felt like a child myself, looking at things with wonder, like I was seeing everything for the first time!
I have been told by many I am a very bad listener! (Is that maybe because I hate being a grown-up - because all we adults (me included) do is find fault in others and wait for opportunities to complain and groan and be so negative? Because we can never genuinely feel happy (most of the time) when someone else succeeds? Because we are constantly trying to be better than the rest?) I could sit for hours with these children and listen to them rattle on about spiderman and batman trying to save the good people (that was Oscar's bit of conversation with me), and I could sit on those tiny chairs for hours without complaining of creaking bones and aching joints and draw distorted figures and talk about cartoons and toys and games and not feel ashamed about it or bored!
I came back feeling happy, gushing about all the cute things we did and said! And then I realised, kids are better than any age-miracle cream, but as long as they are someone else's!!!
Patrick writes his name!
This is Oscar's drawing of me and him :)!
Oscar writes the name of his friend Tommy!
And yes! that is Oscar!
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