the plane to boston

I was on a plane ride to Boston two years ago when I stumbled upon just a really fun but sad string of thoughts.  When i sat down in my designated seat I was pleasently suprised to see that a one year old was sitting in front of me in his own seat no less.  I dont travel on planes near enough to be pissed off about a baby in close proximity, most especially sense, more than likely, me and my brother would irratate scores more people than a crying baby with a poopy diaper could ever dream of.  So i am sitting down, i put my ipod in and no sooner do i start listening to sigur ros does a small blonde head begin to creep ever so slowley over the head of the chair in front of me.  I only saw a flash of his eyes, blue like mine, before he shot back into his seat.  I smiled to myself knowing that i was in for a stirring game of peekaboo.  Moments later, i was looking out the window at the tar-mac waiting for take off, and a blurry blonde object snuck into my peripheral vision, my periph, only this time he peered around the side of his chair, almost falling out of his seat.  I tried to slowly sit back so as not to startle him and maybe shoot him a funny face but as soon as a moved he shot back into his seat again like a tube worm.  This game went on for some time, like 30 minutes, before he was comfortable enough to just stare at me.  I sat in my chair not sure what to do or how to react but this little blonde hair blue eyed one year old child stared me down, his chest proped on his arm rest and his head sideways from around his seat he stared at me smiling with his mouth and his eyes, literally a string of drool connected his face to the floor and he stared at me, sometimes laughing in short bursts but just stared at me.  all i could think of was why cant i do this to other people.  this kids mom was asleep with her ipod in, which is what you are supposed to do on a plane instead of interact with those around you while you soar impposibly through the sky traveling at over 300 miles per hour at thousands of feet elevation!  so me and this kid are in a dead locked gaze and i am wondering what would happen if we allowed eachother, as adults, to just give in to those very innocent urges to just stare at someone because they are interesting to you or just smile stupidly at someone.  I mean what if i turned around and did that to the people behind me what would they do, or worse what if i propped my head on that kids armrest in front of me and just smiled at him, imagine his mothers horror when she woke to see my face just inches from her child and me smiling and drooling like an idiot.  i realize we dont live in a perfect world and i understand to some extent why i cant interact with people the way this kid did and will do until he becomes self conscious and begins to worry about how people view him, but i wish we did live in that world.

accompsha to you all