baby's breath

This happened a couple weeks ago.

My bike flats, so I walk. On the way north up 9^th East, I see a dad carrying his baby and another mom carrying her baby. Both of them—the padres—were headphoned off into their own worlds. I am saddened when I see this. It’s strange too because I view them both at precisely the same time—the dad walking south and the mom walking north. What if they miss their baby's first gurgle of language? I would be so sad. I would be sad and I don't even know those babies' names. And sure, the mom's baby was probably slumbering because she had him/her all cozied up in one of those front stomach carriers. But even still, is not the sound of babies' sleeping breath so sweet. I would swear I can hear it even over the noisy cars rumbling by. That new-to-earth sound comforts me; I wouldn’t want to miss a single exhalation.

So I know I'm way too self-righteous, but this is yet another reason to add to my list of why I'll never own an i-pod or anything that resembles it in any way shape or form. How will we survive? How will we relate to others with this continued self-marginalization?