Do you have a heart in your body?
Thursday nights, I teach a yoga class in an upscale building. When I got into the lobby and was waiting for the elevator, I saw a girl of about 11. She had the jaded look of a child model. In fact, she looked a bit like Mariel Hemingway...wide-spaced eyes, high cheekbones. Her little sister (maybe five or six?) was prancing around with a stuffed animal peeking out of her jacket pocket. I sensed a kindred spirit and smiled at her; she smiled back. In the elevator, she threw her arms around her older, taller sister and rested her head on her tummy. She looked up all wide-eyed and asked, "Do you have a heart in your body?" The jaded sister replied, " Yes, Anne, I have a heart in my body" in an oh-my-god-you're-a-moron tone. I felt bad for the little sister, but after a moment she collected herself, and went over to the elevator panel to read quietly. "Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one," she chanted softly as the floors went by. I always love little kids li...