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Helmond, 06 February 2021
This afternoon was stepped towards the neighbourhood supermarket. With a cold eastern wind and closed grey sky from which drizzle descended the outer atmosphere was dark and not lightening. The inner atmosphere was not stuffy per se, but there was a light migraine-like headache that was accompanied by a feeling of devitalisation. The surrounding world with its streets, footpaths and houses was almost entirely build up from bricks and several pot plants near front doors and a single young tree here and there hardly offered refreshment.
On the footpath a young couple neared, gone ahead by a little girl of about three years that with pleasure drove on her mini walking bike down the lightly descending bridge. Although the greeting of people was often not shunned this time it was decided to avoid contact and to direct the eyes elsewhere to in the somewhat devitalised condition not let in worlds of others.
With the passing of the girl the inner erected wall however seemed as non-existent when she spoke out her outmost spontaneous and uncomplicated "hi!". Unhindered by conceptions about psychic private spaces that are so typical for grownups she just like that stepped inside with an extraordinary hearty greeting. Drawing from the own kindness was reacted with an acknowledging "hello". There was an inner smile that the girl didn't look up and focussed on her walk-biking resumed her way. From the childlike innocence it was not more than natural to simply shortly step inside with someone for a greeting to subsequently resume the own way.
Resuming the way oneself a whiff of the life world of the child was carried along. It was in abstraction a sunny world with colourful flowers and sweet, hugable figures that strongly contrasted the perceived outer world. It was a sparkle of innocence that in the supermarket world of the grownups was lost out of sight but that after coming home apparently still shimmered.