A weight measuring 5km across and 5km wide has been lifted from the green island. The sun and spring vibes also lifted off the frozen ground and graced the island for the day. Spirits may have been crushed during the last 365 days plus, but today Bray was bustling with the human race - eager for contact with the survivors.
The seaside town of Bray would normally be teeming with foreign accents and pods of delighted tourists hoping to see a rainbow or leprechaun. Today, it teemed with Irish locals of all group dynamics - 90% unmasked and smiling at one another. Of course, we have craved the warm sun and ocean waves, but just as much, I think we have craved that human smile and show of any emotion. The fear in our eyes over the tops of our muzzles was abandoned out in the sunshine. It's time to laugh again in the company of a stranger or old friend. Just today, we (my husband and I) offered an older couple some spare change for the parking meter. We figured most people don't carry around extra coins anymore and get frazzled at the machine asking for a euro.
To our surprise, they weren't looking for meter money; that was already paid. The man's wife was making sure they had enough coins to feed the guitarist's change cup. They smiled at us and laughed. "We don't need your money. We always give the guitar man a couple euro. You’re grand, you’re grand. Thanks for asking." You could hear the pleasant acoustic notes floating down the promenade.
We got back in the car and seconds later, I'm rolling down the window for the older man. He leans in, nearly on the cusp of tears, "I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you. There's not many people like you. You don't really see that anymore - people checking in to see if you're okay." He presses off the car and waves goodbye, "Have a great day and Godbless!" The man rejoins his wife and they walk onto the promendade towards the music, where they will pass on their generosity to the guitarist. Bray head sticks out like a pile of green velvet upon an almost Carribean-esque Irish Sea.
It is rarer and rarer these days to stop and offer help or simply to check-in on a fellow human. Sure, you may call or text someone, but when do you really check-in on a stranger? The past year has been especially hard and undoes the physical interaction. We have been trained to specifically avoid interaction with people. I hope the sunshine reminds us to share our own energy with each other. Our smiles and actions are as infectious as the sun. Spare a smile.
