A month ago, Bella and I were leaving a store and walking back to the car as I held her in my arms.  It was the middle of the day, but we were in a parking garage.  It was well lit, as parking garages go, but still a dim, dark concrete, unwelcoming structure.  As we walked down the aisle of cars, I noticed a large, muscled, broad-shouldered man walking directly toward us.  Instinctively, I looked away, stiffened my grip on my baby girl, straightened my posture and quickened my pace.  As we approached each other, I heard Bella laugh in my ear.  I looked over and this big man, twice my size, was making googly eyes and waving to my little baby.

"Hello, Happy Baby!"

I am often amazed at how powerfully disarming a smiling, little baby can be.  Bella laughs, waves and flirts with nearly every person she meets.  Two weeks ago, we were among the first to board a plane to DC.  I was exhausted after having trudged through security, pushed her stroller across the concourse and entertained and fed her while we waited at the gate.  Once we were seated, I was tired and stared out of the window at the baggage handlers pulling up to the side of the plane.  Bella stood in my lap and held onto the chair back in front of us.  Her laughter pulled me back from my daydreams and I looked up.  I saw a full aisle of people streaming onto the plane.  They were all exhausted travelers lugging suitcases, overcoats and laptop bags.  It now costs $20 to check your first bag on Delta and $30 for your second, so we are all our own pack mules. For the moment, however, there was something very different about this crowd.

As far back as I could see, every passenger walking down the aisle had a smile on their face.  As they approached, their smiles became larger. Standing on my lap, Bella was waving at every single person.  She repeated her favorite word, her first word actually, “Hi!  Hi!  Hi!  Hi! Hi!”  Everyone loved it and was quick to respond with a wave and a warm greeting to her as well.  My 15 month old waited for and greeted every passenger on the 757.  She only sat down once there weren’t anymore passengers to welcome aboard.  The woman behind us was thrilled to watch this unfold and dubbed Bella “The Official Greeter”.

I don’t understand what it is exactly about a happy baby that encourages and allows an open sense of community.  We are all strangers in a public space rushing through to get to where we want to be, away from where we are, but a baby can break down these walls that we put up in front of other people, slow down for a minute and smile.  My mom sent to me an editorial in the New York Times that talks about this odd experience of instant and temporary intimacy.  This happens to us everyday and I am repeatedly amazed.

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