The Beauty of Simplicity...

[peacetraveler22]

The simplest things can leave a lasting impression on our lives. Anything from a smile, a person's beauty, their harsh or loving words and, particularly, a random act of kindness. I continue to review my photos from Kazan, and recently came across this image. I remember that my Russian travel companion in Kazan had a very emotional reaction when he encountered this note and lollipop, but two months after the journey I can't remember exactly why. I spoke to my Russian friend Alexey yesterday and he translated the note as follows: "This rabbit is 10 years old. He was brought from abroad but the child felt sorry for him and didn't eat him. And then the child grew up and brought him to the museum. Live eternally, brother!"

But why was the rabbit brought to the "Museum of the Socialist Way of Life" and from what country did he originate? Alexey laughed and told me the country of origin didn't matter. To the child, it represented much more than a sweet treat. Something entirely new and different, another world! In Alexey's words "as Soviet children, we didn't see such cute looking candies and the choice of toys was very scarce. The kid was so impressed by the rabbit that destroying him by the way of eating was too cruel for him." How could I possibly relate to this statement? In America, I've always had an abundant choice of candies, lollipops, really anything I wanted. Yet it doesn't mean that I can't understand how something simple can touch or alter someone's life, because I too have my own version of this lollipop, and it's pictured here:



A simple leaf, handed to me by the most innocent, smiling and beautiful little Mexican girl I've ever encountered. She gave it to me in a small village in Ixtapa, where my family traveled almost ten years ago. Most of them sat in the fancy resort, relaxing at the pool and beach for the entire week, but I wanted to venture away and see the locals. I found a driver who knew a family, living in a poor village close to the resort. At the sound of car wheels spinning down the dirt road, the young children and father ran out of the house, excited to see a visitor. They didn't speak English, but the dark-skinned girl's smile glowed in the reflection of the bright sun, and she handed me something from the ground. This leaf, as a welcome gift to her modest home. About a year later, I placed the leaf on a postcard I found, which is emblazoned with John Lennon's meaningful lyrics "Imagine all the people...sharing all the world." At that moment, I realized life is what you make it, that happiness for me has absolutely no correlation to riches or superficial things, but rather to simple human connections, travel and family.

Despite the frailty and tendency of brittle leaves to break apart, this one has remained solid through plane rides, and several office moves. The postcard and leaf have sat on the corkboard by my desk at three different law firms. A reminder of humility, of what's most important to me in life, and that the simplest actions or words can dramatically alter someone's life. For either good or bad, but hopefully the former...

Do you have a similar experience or item that you've kept for many years?

Comments

[pin-gwin.livejournal.com]

I would never forget how, probably, 5-6 years old girl was looking at my 10-years daughter in a small Mexican souvenir shop, built of the wooden sticks aside of the jungle road. She was looking at here like my daughter was a princess from a Magic Kingdom.. The girl was poorly dressed and barefoot, for her touching this little treasures on the shelves were likely not allowed and she was watching every move. I wanted to take a picture of that but something stopped me... I do not know why, but I felt some guilt of doing it... like I feel wrong making this famous Afghan girl NatGeo image, used as a symbol of anger and suffering from poverty and foreign invasions. But was it, really? Most likely, the Afghan girl was just angry at the photographer.
But that's all stored in my memory.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing. I'm always impacted most by young children, because there's such beauty in their innocence and curiosity. I'll never forget the young boys I met in Palestine, living in dirt and poor villages, yet so welcoming and sweet, running to hug me. I showed them in a post, a few months ago. For this reason, I'm not sure I could emotionally handle going to a place like India or even Vietnam, where I've read it's so common for poor children to beg and approach you on the streets. :( I would want to help them all, and it's not possible in my lifetime. I have neither the time nor resources.

[pin-gwin.livejournal.com]

So true..