Sunday, January 25, 2009

Big Smile

We should think like a three year old...

My little daughter kept asking me when we were going to drive past "that happy face place" again. I had no idea what she meant until we were driving on El Centro and she pointed at the spartan Dynasty Iron Doors building and exclaimed, "There's that happy face place! See Mommy? That whole place is smiling."

Happy face place, indeed!

Yeah, there's a logical explanation for this sort of thing -- buzzkillers, those neuroscientists -- but I prefer, like my little girl, to assume the world is smiling at me. (And, apparently, so does this guy!)

17 comments:

Mister Earl said...

Interesting observation by your daughter. You know how cars have different faces? I think I've seen some buildings with faces too. The place in your photo was a nursery for the last ten or so years. I don't remember what it was before that.

Anonymous said...

It makes a lot of sense to me and the shade of the tree is even making the smile part of the face.

Leslie Saeta said...

The innocence and simple joys of children! I love your story (and photo)!
Leslie

Anonymous said...

I always get a smile from your blog! Literally! Thanks, I needed it on such a gloomy weekend. Youve got one of te best Pasadena blog out there!

San Diego Farmgirl said...

It looks like a similing robot from an anime cartoon. I bet she's seen a character on TV that looks like this. Or she's an artistic genius. Or both.

Anonymous said...

with dimples

dbdubya said...

The simple brilliance of a child's mind that hasn't been polluted with too much information. Of course, there's a happy face there, but only she chould see it.

Your story takes me back 30 years to when my son was the same age as your daughter. He kept asking for "car shoes." Most adults would think "car shoes" are tires, or shoes for the car. He finally pointed out a picture in a magazine of "car shoes." They were roller skates, or in his unecumbered mind, shoes that are a car. Makes as much sense as tires.

When she gets older, you and your husband should play Pictionary with a couple of 7 year olds. They'll clobber you because their minds aren't full of as much stuff so they are much quicker at deciphering a simple drawing while adults spend more time make the perfect drawing that our partner has to filter through years of information. At least my kids were able to humble their mother and me on a regular basis.

Yakpate said...

:–) :–) :–) :–) :–) :–) :–)!!!!!!!

I clicked your link and learned... Apophenia is... unmotivated seeing of connections accompanied by a specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness.

Hmmm... sounds like Jung to me! Synchronicity, anyone?

bARE-eYED sUN said...

i don't gettit. what happy face?

jez kiddin', luvitt! :-)

it put a smile on MY face.

..
.ero

Kathy H said...

That's so cool. Your daughter clearly has the soul of an artist. :)

Ken Mac said...

wow, kids are so intuitive. Or maybe it's just your daughter is intuitive. I had to think a bit to see that!

Petrea Burchard said...

Face or no face, it's a sweet shot. I like the simplicity of it.

Anonymous said...

...I'm still laughing...
THANKS, Little One.. and thanks, Laurie, for putting a big laugh on the end of my week-end!!!!

Virginia said...

That's some creative kiddo you have there. Don't let someone rob her of it. You know what Picasso said.
V

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, everybody! Who am I to argue when you say my girl is an artistic genius? (She is... and I'm not biased or anything...)

Dbdubya, I'm really looking forward to future Pictionary days.

Keep looking for those happy faces, everyone! Until tomorrow...

Anonymous said...

Help! I just don't see it. I keep closing my eyes and opening them again to look at it fresh. No smile. No dimples. There's just no mouth. I guess I'm alone in this. Sigh!

Mister Earl said...

Looks to me like the door is the mouth, Anonymouse, but then there's no nose.