it's baby time!
On the importance of being silly and finding joy in the little things.
If you know me, you know the my latest obsession has been these small, colorful, plastic babies. This all began last week, when I went to a birthday party for one of my closest and oldest friends. Since her birthday falls near Mardi Gras, her friends made her a traditional king cake. But instead of just one tiny baby embedded inside the cake, they also decorated the outside with a plethora of colorful little babies. After we ate, one of her friends produced a bag of even more little babies in every color of the rainbow. When asked, she said they didn’t have options to buy just one, so they got hundreds. I was delighted, and hid a handful of them around her apartment before we went out. I also carried some in my pocket to disperse throughout the night. Once at bars, I gave my bartender a baby as part of her tip, and handed them out to people I came across. I kept two for myself, and marveled at them all weekend, keeping them close by on my bedside table.
This past week, that same friend and I went to the SZA and Omar Apollo concert. As we were preparing to leave, I quickly texted her asking to bring some babies. She immediately responded “great idea,” and sent me a photo of her and her babies making the commute via metro. Since Capital One arena doesn’t allow purses or bags of any kind, I wore cargo pants, stuffing my pockets with my wallet, keys, phone, mask, and two little babies. I think that they enjoyed the show as much as we did, and my only regret is that we were too far away to throw one to SZA and Omar.
Since I only had the two babies left, I impulsively ordered 120 more, which arrived a few days later. I eagerly went around all four floors of my house, hiding them in different nooks and crannies. I nestled one in between the folds of a towel, another atop our TV remote, one hiding in a shot glass, and several in the ice tray. I hid even more in my room, placing them in pockets of my coats, purses I seldom use, and even bottles of my daily vitamins and medicine. I’m sure I’ll eventually forget about some of them and have a pleasant surprise awaiting me when I find them later on, be it in days or months from today. I was a bit nervous how my roommates would react, as they had no idea I planned to plant these innocuous infants around our home. Luckily, they were similarly pleased with them, sending photos of them in the group chat and even re-hiding ones they found in different parts of the house.
With babies galore, I have pledged to carry a small pouch of them with me whenever I leave the house. While running errands today, I left several on the metro, nestled between the cushions of the old metro cars, resting on the concrete benches, perched atop the pay still. I have no idea how these babies will be be received once found, but I can only hope that strangers around the city will be as delighted with them as I am. I gave one to my waiter last night, and she grinned, placing it in her apron and remarking that she’ll probably forget about it until the next time she comes to work. This is exactly the sentiment behind them: find one when you least expect it, and appreciate the joy that comes with this strange gift from the universe.
As someone who champions being silly over all else, I think this is a perfect way to spread some much-needed happiness around the city. I was talking to my parents on the phone the other day, and my mom remarked that she wasn’t sure what her purpose in life is. I answered that my purpose is silliness; doing things that make me happy and spending time with people I love. She was inspired, not realizing that one’s life purpose doesn’t have to be something huge, important, and daunting. It can be as simple as the actions that fill your days or the thoughts behind your most trivial motivations. For me, it’s being a little silly.
All this to say, while it’s a bit ridiculous, don’t be afraid to be silly in any way you can. Not everyone will understand it, but that’s okay, they don’t have to. Bringing a smile to someone’s face is an effective way to increase our own happiness, and sometimes all it takes is an $8 pack of tiny babies and some extra time on your hands to do so.
Silly babies are the meaning of life!!!