Yesterday at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom for Gay Days, I ran across a little boy that touched my heart.
As we wer
e riding back to the parking lot last night on the Ferry Boat, this little boy was standing with his mother. He had some brightly colored rings on his arm and was enjoying them like there was no tomorrow. The little boy came up to me and showed me these rings and asked me to count them. I counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 out loud and he turned around and said, "6, 7, 8, 9, 10."
He then went back to his mom and a few minutes later he came back over and talked to me more. At no time, did the little boy look up at me and see me as "different" or "abnormal" or any of the other things that so many in our society proclaim from their mouths. He just looked at me like any regular person that was safe enough for him to approach.
His innocence accepted someone else and didn't see them in the light that gets twisted through the teachings of our society. His innocence allowed him to just interact and get to know someone for a moment, treating them with respect while he received acceptance and respect back.
When we said goodbye and went our separate ways, I could not help but think that if older children and adults in our society learned more to accept each others as this boy did, how much more peaceful our world would be to live in.
This little boy had not been through all the trials of life that most of us go through and in many ways, while we as adults know so much, this child could teach us all something very valuable to our lives.
Please do not misunderstand the purpose here of this post. The point, I am trying to make is that we need to see others through the innocence of this child. We need to accept each other with love and respect, not judgment or fear or cultural beliefs.
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Blog Post & Images (c) 6/4/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com
If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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As we wer
e riding back to the parking lot last night on the Ferry Boat, this little boy was standing with his mother. He had some brightly colored rings on his arm and was enjoying them like there was no tomorrow. The little boy came up to me and showed me these rings and asked me to count them. I counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 out loud and he turned around and said, "6, 7, 8, 9, 10."He then went back to his mom and a few minutes later he came back over and talked to me more. At no time, did the little boy look up at me and see me as "different" or "abnormal" or any of the other things that so many in our society proclaim from their mouths. He just looked at me like any regular person that was safe enough for him to approach.
His innocence accepted someone else and didn't see them in the light that gets twisted through the teachings of our society. His innocence allowed him to just interact and get to know someone for a moment, treating them with respect while he received acceptance and respect back.
When we said goodbye and went our separate ways, I could not help but think that if older children and adults in our society learned more to accept each others as this boy did, how much more peaceful our world would be to live in.
This little boy had not been through all the trials of life that most of us go through and in many ways, while we as adults know so much, this child could teach us all something very valuable to our lives.
Please do not misunderstand the purpose here of this post. The point, I am trying to make is that we need to see others through the innocence of this child. We need to accept each other with love and respect, not judgment or fear or cultural beliefs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 6/4/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com
If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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