Prayer and wonder

I was sitting with my love in Starbucks this morning and I noticed this man sitting outside. There's usually a lot of local Armenian men sitting outside of this Starbucks. They play cards and smoke as they chatter to each other in their native language. I never know what they are saying, but they almost always appear to be having a good time. The man in this photo wasn't playing cards or smoking. He was holding a strand of what appeared to be prayer beads. You can sort of see them under the table. He was just sitting there working those prayer beads between his thumb and forefinger. I found myself wondering if he was working the beads out of habit or if he was really praying for something, or someone. The practice of prayer has always been a foreign concept to me. I know it is a ritual that occurs in many religions and spiritual practices, and there are countless methods that all fall under the blanket term of 'prayer.' The closest I've come to doing it is probably in the form of meditation, or when I was pleading to some higher power to save my brother's life. I wonder how often prayers are sent out in desperation versus good will, or out of want for material things.

As I watched this man, I briefly turned my attention to a little girl who was looking around Starbucks in genuine wonder, as if she was seeing everything for the first time. I wondered how different the world looks through her eyes as compared to how it looks through the old man's eyes. I also wondered how their views compare to mine. If I could look at the world with her wonder and amazement, and with his wisdom and experience, what would I see? What am I missing?