See, Everyone DOES Know Me

A few weeks ago, Lotta and found ourselves in St. Vinny's. I was trying on some sunhats. An adult male saw me and commented enthusiastically, "That hat looks really good on you!" I responded, "Thanks!" and he signaled for a high five. Now, normally, I might hesistate, but this man was not giving me any creepy vibes, so I went ahead and high fived. As he walked away, he procalaimed to his mom, "See mom, everyone DOES know me." To which his mom responded, as if she had said this numerous times, "No, no they don't." This interaction delighted me to no end. First, I could relate to the parent, trying to protect her son's kind heart. Secondly, it felt like an opportunity to pay it forward for all the times someone had been kind and played along with Ellie's shenanigans. I always appreciated the strangers who didn't need to know exactly why, but were willing to play along. Finally, I appreciated how much the son truly believed that everyone knew him. It reminded me of how Ellie treated every stranger as a friend she just hadn't had the pleasure to meet yet. The assumption that everyone IS in fact a friend. What a fantastic world to reside in.