Small Glories

Today I saw my 13-yr-old neighbor smoking. Just walking down the street, puffing at a cigarette like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. I stared out the window, wanting to scream at him, wanting to pull the blinds so my kids didn't see. Wanting to rat him out to his mom.

Today I saw two teenage girls at the grocery store, an infant on each of their hips. These girls were tiny waifs, and they were dolled up in cakes of makeup and tiny skirts and pounds of jewelry. They looked like whores.

Today I saw people on TV talking about Mexican immigrants like they were chattel. Smiling, with that twang in their voices, opposing crack-downs on illegal immigrants because the Mexicans will work for peanuts. "Real Americans don't want those jobs", the man said. Like Americans were people and Mexicans were not.

But today my 2-yr-old son said "I love you too". He also tried to tell me a knock-knock joke but he doesn't really get the concept yet - but don't worry, I laughed! He chased me down with his slippers in hand so I would put them on him, and then grinned from ear to ear like I had just made his day when I did. He sat on my head when I laid down on the couch. He giggled like crazy when I changed his diaper. He asked me to scratch his back, and then giggled some more when I did. He put my husband's Captain Kirk figurine in a little truck and took him for a spin.

What a wonderful world.