celebrity or street-dweller

Some kids are just magnetic. Okay, I whole-heartedly admit to my MAJOR bias as Jonah is my son, but the kid can draw a smile and a chuckle from even the most stone-cold face. Or draw the attention of someone used to being entertained by the majors in the entertainment world. Someone like, say, David Letterman, who paused in playing with his son at the park the other day to turn and ask Jonathan, "Now who's this little guy?" Yes, Little Bear drew the attention of one of the great talk-show hosts. I guess he and his son were vacationing here for a few days. Anyways, Jonathan picked up Jonah and said "This is Jonah. Say 'Hi Mr.Dave'" and he naturally said "Hi-ee" with his sweet smile and clamping wave. Jonathan chatted w/him for a bit, then gave some space to the man who obviously was enjoying being a "normal person" rather than the usual celebrity hoo-ha he'd have to be dealing with were they in Central Park. The funny thing is, Jonah decided he liked Mr.Dave, very much in fact. He kept an eye on him for the next fifteen minutes or so, and would run over in the near vicinity just to wave at him again. This naturally brought a smile, cause I have yet to find anyone that can ignore this smile and wave for long. Then Mr.Dave would be crossing the park and wave to get Jonah's attention. T'was quite the friendly banter. Very sweet. Very natural. Who'd have guessed Jonah would meet his first celeb at such a tender age? But to him, Mr.Dave was no more exciting than the two homeless men he was chatting with on the street this afternoon. In fact, he may have flashed them an even bigger smile and waved a bit longer. He liked them very much, and it didn't matter what they looked like or how much money they didn't make. A refreshing reminder of how we're really not all that different. Mmm, what a perfect way to spend a sunny weekend.