Baby in France

My grandson, James, has just completed his first tour abroad. This post is a sort of photo journal of his time there.



I wish I had some shots of him swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, but I don't seem to have any.



He traveled around between Nice, Cannes, VilleFranche, and Gilette, among other destinations, and as far as I could tell, he liked everything he saw.



It must be hard to be ~ 7 months old and find yourself shuttled place to place, surrounded by tons of new people.



On the other hand, it must also be exhilarating. James was the center of attention wherever he went.



To be honest, I was a bit jealous. I wish all of those gorgeous French women would have fussed over me as they did over James.



But, alas, the beauty of youth surpasses the wrinkled old in our eyes. I'm no different in this regard. The smooth skin and bright eyes of a child mesmerize. The ancient, wizened skin and puffy eyes of oldsters causes me to want to look away.

We are wired to appreciate the young humans, as they develop into those who can best reproduce and carry on our species. But in our age, we live way too long, way beyond when we are pretty and sexy. To grow old is to endure a long, slow, gradual decline into an asexual state that I, for one, would never choose to experience.

I easily comprehend those who choose to leave this life before their beauty begins to decline. Part of me is with them.

But the larger part wishes to hang around and see how it all turns out. There is nothing old about my eyes and what they see. The beauty of youth is as visible to me as to anyone else.

The smooth babies become the articulate children who become the distant teenagers who become the suddenly impressive 20-somethings who finally once again return your love. As they break, and suffer transitional crises, they only become more interesting and attractive.

As they develop, and move outside of themselves to embrace the possibilities for all of us, collectively, they reach a peak.

All of this is visible to me in a baby's eyes. I see in Baby James a potential Great Man, the kind of person who makes us all proud.

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