I have really come to appreciate the pure joy that comes thru when the little guy laughs.  It can be from a tickle in the right spot, from a game of peek-a-boo, just from a look, being picked up, or something he thinks is funny (there is a monkey playing with a ball in one of his books that he laughs at every time).

To me, I think I like the laugh so much because it is uniquely his – kind of a high-pitched squeal that ramps up, like an old siren that you have to crank to turn on.  Sometimes it comes from him sucking in air, and sometimes it is so constant that he loses his breath.  It is hard not to laugh when he is laughing, and I find myself not laughing at him, but laughing with him and finding joy in the moment.

It is cool to realize that this laugh of his is pure joy.  It is not at anyone’s expense, it is not mean-spirited – it is pure.  It is sad to think that this purity of heart will over time get chipped away by the world – by the hurts he experiences in a variety of ways from a variety of people.  It actually makes me want to cry a little, to think of that pure joy potentially not staying there forever as he gets older.   Instead of thinking about that, I will cherish the squeals of laughter, and let it fill in some of the chips that the world has taken from my heart.

If you think about it – why can’t we all laugh like that at a funny picture in a book, when someone is goofy, or when someone picks us up and makes noises? 😉 (ok, not that last one, but you get the point).  Maybe there is a lot to be learned from the little guy’s laughs.  From quick observation it seems like a 2-step system: First step, open your eyes with innocence, see everything as new and interesting.  Second step, simply want to laugh.  Choose it.  Opt in.  Then, I guess, just let go 🙂