What The World Really Needs Is A Pinch Of Innocence

This afternoon, I had a work-related meeting to attend. I had to get at the site at 1 o'clock exactly, but I arrived approximately 40 minutes early. So I was simply waiting on the roadside a few yards away from the site to pass the time. Punctuality is no longer what it was a few decades ago. Being late and early are both deemed negative since being late indicates that you have nothing productive to do with your time. To avoid making a terrible first impression, I resolved to arrive at the place on time.

As I stood there watching people walk by, I found myself thinking about previous encounters of this kind that had not proven to be as useful as intended. Needless to say, such ideas tend to eat a portion of your happiness. After just ten minutes of consideration, I concluded that today's meeting would be fruitless. With each passing second, I became less and less sure.

I glanced to my right instinctively and observed a tiny schoolgirl of around 7-8 years old standing by my side, maybe waiting for the bus or something. She seemed concerned and perplexed, but I ignored her and began to examine the building I would be entering in approximately 25 minutes. Someone suddenly touched my hand. I turned to see the girl staring at me. "What?" I said, raising my brows. "Do you see anything here?" she said, pointing to her left. I could only see the side of her schoolbag and discovered a water bottle in the side pocket.

She didn't want me to remove the bag off her shoulders, so I assumed she wanted me to hand her the water bottle. I took out the bottle and attempted to offer it to her. She said, "No, not like this. Take a look here "directing her attention to her left shoulder When I noticed that some bird had seemingly pooped on her shoulder, I couldn't help but smile. "OK, put some water on it from my bottle," she added, a bit ashamed to see me smile. I opened the bottle's cap and performed precisely what I was taught.

It clearly did not clean her clothing. "How would I clean it?" she said, her look serious. I inquired whether she had a piece of paper, to which she said no. "Why don't you rip one from one of your notebooks?" I suggested. "The instructor would get upset and yell at me if I do something like that," she continued, changing her demeanor to seem even more anxious. I instantly averted my gaze since I was genuinely laughing at the time.

Then I saw an empty package of medication on the ground in front of a medical shop. I took it in my hands and tore a piece of hard paper off it. She glanced at the piece with optimism and turned to face me, allowing me to wipe her shoulder. I used it to wipe the droppings on her shoulder, and when I was certain that it couldn't be cleaned any more, I tossed the piece away. She looked over her shoulder and went into an alley. She took a few steps back and nearly raced towards me before stopping and saying, "Thank you." I nodded in response to her display of appreciation. She gave me a weak grin and began heading back into the alley. I remained staring at her until she came across a lady on her way, most likely her mother, who took her hand and began walking again. For a brief while, I recalled a similar situation that occurred to me in school. I looked at the clock; I still had 15 minutes.

I felt so elegant and carefree that I walked ahead and entered the building without hesitation. The conference went well, and I felt in command of every second of it. I rode the bus home after the meeting. It took me 90 minutes to get home, and I was thinking only positive things the whole time.

Today I discovered that no matter how much negativity one feels within, a pinch of innocence may make it all go away. In reality, the loss of purity and candor in our life is the source of all our troubles and concerns. We can never be happy until we can find a way to preserve the innocence in ourselves and others around us. I'm still not sure what I'll get out of today's meeting, but I'm not going to care. I'll never forget how a tiny child unwittingly influenced my outlook for the rest of my life.