I Wish We Could Keep Our Kid Heart..

I Wish We Could Keep Our Kid Heart.. 
Current mood: contemplative 
Category: Life

Something this morning made me want to cry.. it could have been part hormones but more than that I think it was that ever confusing jumble of sadness AND happiness that someone can feel @ the same time.. 

First a little backdrop. Yet again, over here in Kuwait, there is a fucked up way how things work.. I've mentioned before that all of the manual laborers here are TCN's (3rd Country Nationals – Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and the like..). Every morning you see these men, in their little yellow jumpsuits, bundled up in threadbare scarves and gothbas, sweeping up sand and trash from the curbsides of busy roads.. My attitude towards them is akin to my attitude towards homeless.. Regrettably sympathetic.. But unlike (most) homeless, I respect them because they have jobs and are doing their part to support their families.. They brave the harsh desert elements and sometimes barbaric treatment for what amounts to pittance to you and me.. I respect them, but I can't bring myself to look them in their eyes.. Part of it is not wanting to make them feel ashamed about what they're doing or who they are.. Part of it is the large spectrum I see between me and them.. Why should I be so lucky to have been born where I was?
The most any of us do usually is hand over a couple hundred fils so that they might have a decent snack during their strenuous day.. As soon as you drive off though, how amazing it is how quickly you forget that moment.. What's even more sad is that some of us have such an air of self-importance about us.. I see some assholes throw shit out of their car right in front of these guys.. 

I'm sure I'm completely wrong in assuming this is what goes through EVERYONE's mind when they encounter the impoverished.. Especially in this place where its an everyday occurrence and they're so easily brushed aside.. Worse yet, I can't truthfully say that I think about the welfare of these people nearly as often as I come into contact with them.. It's easy to get wrapped up in this place, meaning, wrapped up in yourself.. 

But this morning, as I was driving Tatum to school – there was one of these men right near our car, doing his job, sweeping the road.. This is something Tatum does often but today I actually watched her and took it all in.. No matter who it may be – be they American soldiers she sees @ Camp Arifjan, a random Kuwaiti stopped @ a red light, a Filipino waiter, or a TCN worker on the side of the street – She musters up the cutest smile and waves incessantly, shouting, "Hi! Hello! Hi!" - until she gets some kind of response.. Usually she gets a smile and a wave back.. Then as we pull away she softly yet cheerfully says, "Bye! Buh byes!"

What I wouldn't give to go back to a time when I saw everyone as true equals.. EVERYONE deserves a morning smile.. No matter what corner of the world they hail from.. No matter what they look like.. No matter what they do for a living.. No matter how much money is in their pocket.. If we all had our kid hearts again.. The world would be what it should..