≡ Click to see image ≡

Is that some king of hand carved wooden motorcycle they got there? And if so, how perfectly awesome.

Oh oh oh, especially the kidlet in front, bent over in laughter: beautiful. It puts a big silly grin on my face.

Thanks, Hugh!

I don't know, Divine_Wino, but if it is, I agree, it has to be the king of hand-carved motorcycles.

Reminds me of the mud cell phone this guy's holding.

On preview, it's my pleasure. The thought that I put a big silly grin on your face, puts a big silly grin on my face, Frisbee Girl.

Aw, so adorable! I only wish it was bigger so I could see more detail. I love the mud phone one as well. And you know darn well that on Metachat it is NEVER too late in the day for sweet pictures. :)

Beautiful! And I love the kid with the cellphone.

This is going to sound stupid but it's the best way I can find to put it: kids know how to smile with their whole face. None of this half-smile/squinty/hope-I-look-good crap that adults do (me included) when they know they're being photographed. Kids don't let self-consciousness get in the way of expressing joy.

LeeJay, I'm totally with you and I also think that it's not just the expression of joy, but an unself-consciousness about feeling and expressing the entire range of emotions that makes kids and people who are involved in their passion/passionately connected with their lives so magnetic and infectious. It doesn't have to be over the top, though sometimes it can be unabashedly exuberant.

Whether it's pleasure or excitement or wonder or fascination or pain or sorrow: there is so much power in the sincere expression of emotion. And as sarcasm, ridicule, one-upmanship and personal detachment seem to dominate as fundamental forms of social interaction, the willingness/ability to be sincere, which makes us openly vulnerable, stands out. When I experience it, it's feels like both a gift and a sympathetic echo and the world simply seems a little warmer.