The Pure Joy of Toddlerhood

I was watching Eliza the other day playing by herself, and I could just see the joy radiating from her. She would run around and around the kitchen table, and then she would sit on one of the ends of the table legs, which is just the right height for her to sit on without having to take her feet off the ground, jump up, and run again. She was laughing to herself the whole time, thinking she was so clever, and the look on her face was one of pure delight. And the thought came to me that small children truly feel pure joy, and it's not forced at all. They delight in such small things. Last night, just before dinner, Eliza was screaming because she wanted to eat, but it wasn't quite ready and I didn't have anything for her to munch on beforehand. All I did was put my finger over my lips, make a noise, and run my finger up and down, and she thought the noise I was making was so silly that she started laughing and just couldn't stop. The smallest things amuse them, and they take such joy in everything about life around them. It's amazing.