Thursday, July 19, 2007

Precious Pleasures


A few nights ago I was walking up to my door in the darkness after returning from bellydancing class. As I said, I've not been feeling my best lately and, amongst other things, the sheer nastiness of some of things people see fit to say to me on this blog was really getting me down.

I stood at my door and searched around in my bag for the door keys when I heard a little voice call out: "Yia sou kopela" I looked up and it was the little kid from next door sitting on the terrace with his grandma

"Yia sou agapi mou'" I replied, "what are you doing up so late?

"I'm drawing"

"What are you drawing?"

"A car"

"That's great! I'm going to go inside now because I'm tired, okay?"

"Okay"

"Kalinixta agapi mou"

"Kalinixta"

This sweet little child's friendliness put such a happy smile on my face and ended my day free from all the bad thoughts I had in my head. From even before he could talk his grandma would stop in the street when she'd see me and say to the baby "Look, it's the girl from next door! She's taking a walk too." It was this tiny gesture which made me feel accepted by this lady who knew Mr Zeus but had no obligation to be so nice to me.

I'm grateful I live in such a friendly Greek neighbourhood. If it wasn't for the people I meet on the streets here or Mr Zeus and his smart, funny and articulate Greek friends, I'd be basing my opinion of what Greeks are like from the things some of them say to me on this blog, and that opinion would be very poor indeed.

Image: http://www.middle-fork.org/archives/dDropWater.gif