The Little Boy in the Airport

It was not there even a second before. Something different. Something pure. It was a piano. Amid the cacophony, this sound stood out. My heart swelled as I listened.

Each note carried an emotion, played with such passion and enthusiasm.

I let myself feel the music first, not ready to turn around immediately and see who was playing.

I wanted that feeling to linger, where you feel wholly enveloped and one with the music. I held out as long as I could until finally my head swiveled around.

Who was playing this beautiful music? To my surprise, it was a little boy, no older than eight or nine.

His small fingers danced across the keys with gusto, pouring his heart into each note.

His joy was infectious, radiating from him as he played. An entire bustling airport and this one little boy playing song after song, without any other care or thought in the world. He was fully present, lost in the music.

As I watched him, tears welled up in my eyes. This was beauty. Yet, as I looked around, I realized something baffling - no one else seemed to notice. The boy played on, bringing magic into an otherwise mundane moment, but the world around him remained distracted. People were glued to their phones, lost in their own worlds, with earbuds in or staring blankly into space.

How could this be? Gently, I could feel God whisper: “It is no different than anything else.” A flash of clarity as pure and precise as the notes the boy was playing came to me: God, in His infinite love, showers us with moments of beauty every day. Perhaps even, every single moment. Yes, every single moment.

Yet more often than I’d like to admit, we’re too distracted to notice. We don’t hear the music playing, even when it’s right in front of us. We live in a world full of distractions, constantly seeking something to occupy our minds. We cling to these distractions, most often, unknowingly to soothe our anxieties and to feel safe.

But in doing so, we miss out on the music. We miss out on the beauty and magic found in the present moment. I am as guilty of this as anyone. But when we make space in our lives, when we quiet the noise, even for a moment, we can become present enough to hear the melody that’s been playing all along. Have you taken time today to notice the beauty around you? To listen for the music in your life? Maybe even right beside you? If not, take a moment now. Pause. Breathe.

After a number of different songs, the little boy stood up and walked over to his father. I hesitated. I desperately wanted to go to them, to tell the little boy how much I loved to hear him play. That he had made my day. I also felt so nervous, it can feel so awkward to go up to someone you don’t know. Approaching strangers can be daunting, especially when you’re unsure how they’ll respond. But then, the boy returned to the piano, and I saw my chance. I’ll at least tell the father, I thought.

I approached his father, doing my best to express in Italian how talented his son was, and how much his music had touched me. His father’s face lit up with pride, his smile wide and true. I felt so happy to see his joy. The father tells me that his son is 11 years old and he has never once taken a single lesson. It’s all by ear. I’m left speechless. Tears filled my eyes once more. I tell him, his son has a true gift.

As I’m saying this, the son notices us speaking and comes over. A smile on his face too. I say “Bravo! Tu sei incredibile.” His smile grows even brighter. I leave them and go back to my seat. Feeling so glad that I did go up to them. We humans want so deeply to be loved. To be seen. Each one of us brings heaven on Earth when we extend our love to another person.

As I waited for my plane, I couldn’t help but think: What a crime against humanity to let moments like this pass. To not notice is criminal. To be seen is to be loved.