We can all learn a lot from the youngest among us

Babies. They're fascinating, aren't they?

You could play peek-a-boo or make goofy noises for hours and you'll always get the same response. Laughter and smiles. This is universally true with nearly all babies, whether they're yours or not.

Now walk up to someone on the street today, preferably anyone over the age of 13, and start a game of peek-a-boo with them. What would their response be?

Yeeaah. My thoughts exactly. After the initial shock that they are forced into a surprise game of peek-a-boo with a complete stranger, your test subject would no doubt have a "If looks could slap" glare or a few choice words to share.

We live in an era where personal space and me, me, me is all the rage. But to a baby, they have no idea what personal space is. Sometimes closer is better in their case.

You watch an infant and it's almost inspiring. They're so overwhelmed with their surroundings, everything is new and adventurous. One need only pay attention to a little one's eyes. They tell a lot about a person in general.

Life, to a baby, is fresh and a wonder. Life to most adults is routine and mundane.

A baby doesn't know the meaning of judging someone or being prejudiced. Sadly, adults do this daily. From what someone is wearing to the way a person speaks.

Our current day sees us waking up tired, heading to work, sitting in traffic alone, living off caffeine to get by and using our cell phones, blackberries, iPODs and PDAs to keep us "connected" when all it really does is shut us off from those around us, devastating any form of community outside of your digital contacts.

Babies on the other hand enjoy play time. They sleep as long as they want, love being around people because it's all so very new and exciting and would die or become sick without human touch. Although that's usually never an issue since babies are held, hugged, cuddled and loved so much.

Adults go out of their way to interact with an infant. They also go out of their way to make sure they don't interact with other adults they've never met in public.

Hey, I have a question.

What happened to us?

Believe it or not we were ALL babies at one time.

Yeah I know. Crazy, eh?

To say that we as adults or teenagers are incapable of loving one another for just being alive and well is insane. We were able to do it at one point because we didn't know any of these negative, mind-polluting thoughts that force us to think otherwise.

In my last column, I talked about obtaining the life you've always dreamed of by making a change. You.

This time around I simply wanted to point out that you can start living better and enjoying life even if you think it's impossible because there's proof that you, at one point, did.

Of course, the message remains the same: change yourself by reinventing your thoughts. You and I both know that thoughts, many times, lead to actions somewhere down the line.

Still think it's impossible to even begin to turn things around? I've got something I'd like you to do that will result in an immediate payoff. It doesn't cost anything and it doesn't inconvenience anyone.

Take a second and get to a mirror or a surface where you can see your reflection. Look at yourself for five seconds and think about one of the many reasons you're a good friend, family member or person in general. Don't judge your smudged lipstick or worry about your hair if it's out of place. This is about something completely different.

Now having done these things, do yourself a favor.

Smile.

Doing this will no doubt put you in a better mood. Because if there is one thing we've been able to retain from our perfect little lives as babies where we didn't a care in the world, it has been our ability to smile.

Life only gets better from here.

Wade Heath of Lodi is a college student studying in Southern California. He can be reached at reachwade@lycos.com.