So tonight as we had a quick bite to eat, Margareta took one for the team and dressed the impressively tiny fairy that Penny had acquired in her candy egg (think your pinky, then divide that by a billion). This left me the wonderful opportunity to wander around the Old Town of Omis with the world's tiniest mayor, Johnny.
Following in his sister's footsteps, Johnny quite literally waved and spoke to everyone he saw. His words of choice tonight, "Buh bye". His basic tactic was to walk up to anyone he saw as he cruised the smooth backstreets of the Old Town, make eye contact, wave and say, "Buh Bye". When he wasn't feeling that, he would walk up to a couple or family that was having dinner at one of the many open air restaurants and just sit down. "Hello sir, I see you're with your entire extended family enjoying an ice cream. Might I sit next to you and enjoy some of your lemon sorbet?"
Here's the beautiful thing, not many spoke English but everyone spoke Johnny. Every soft greeting, happy wave, hand on a leg, head first dive into a bar/restaurant/someone's home was met with a smile, a wave and a returned greeting.
It's in these moments when I feel the most connected to those around me. I'll most likely never see any of these people again but we shared something both small and heart-achingly important together.
In our search for connection, our longing for community...for our common humanity, we often miss these simple moments. It's easier to pretend to have an important message on social media and stare deeply into our phone rather than just make eye contact and be you know, actually social, with a stranger.
Johnny ain't got time for that.
He's truly home where ever he is. This son of America, of Ireland and Africa, of Slovakia and Croatia (and quite a few others as well) wants to be at home with you. How do we get back to the place where we haven't lost that common bond?
Penny has been a little sad the last two nights. She misses home, specifically California and her happy routine. We tell her that as long as we're together, we're home wherever we are in the world. She looks off into the middle distance, nods her curly haired head and responds with determination, "Ok."
I believe we all have that within us, to be home, to be connected, to find our common humanity across borders and languages. I'll ask again, how do we get back to that? Is it as simple as saying hi, smiling, acknowledging a stranger(or in Johnny's case, saying goodbye)?
I hope we can find out together.
Good night friends.