Hitler liked blue eyes...

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. I took a bit too much upon myself and the time came for my "batteries" to get recharged since they've started running on low.

Since we live in the city I have the convenience of walking to the stores, bank, post office, library, park, etc. Everything is at my fingertips. So I'm so used to walking every day that when the weather doesn't permit to go for a walk it takes toll on my levels of energy and mood. Last week the girls were not feeling well, it was bitter cold, so we were home most of the week. And of course this week I could feel it!

Today the sun was out and the sky was bluer than blue. My body craved the vitamin D and my skin needed to be reminded how if feels when the wind brushes up against the cheeks. We headed to the park. The little ones were on the swings for a while and then on the slides. Ivana was running around chasing a pooch, burning extra calories after a very substantial double breakfast. I happened to have a couple of nuts in the pocket of my jacket and that came in handy. The squarrels were so hungry they were snatching the nuts from my fingures. And then it seemed that they gave us that sad look when there was no more nuts.

We didn't stay for too long, just enough to get revitilized again. And I needed to just stop by in the library to return a book. As I came to the library steps it was a bit of a challenge to lift a full double stroller. I managed somehow to drag it up, and then all of a sudden that boy appeared. I was puffing and buffing trying to catch my breath and the library was closed for another couple of minutes. The boy was about 12 years old, I'd say. He seemed to be very polite and complimented the girls on their blue eyes. Ivana's and Leona's eyes have more green than blue, but it didn't matter. He said that he wished to have had blue eyes. Well, it seemed a bit bizzar to hear that from a boy, and then he made sure those were not contact lences. "Kid, they are 2 and 4 years old!..." I wanted to say, but said that he had beautiful hazel eyes. Still he insisted that blue would have been his first choice. I wondered about the reason and that's when his answer just stunned me. "Because Hitler liked people with blue eyes. He said that those who have blue eyes are special people and that they get blue visions. Do you get blue visions?" he asked me... Hmmm..."Well, I don't and the color of your eyes does not make you "a special person". It's who you are makes you a special person", was my reply. The librarian came down to unlock the doors and proceeded to get that chain hanging on the gates that had prevented me from using the handicap accsess with the stroller.

And then the unthinkable happened... It's not that easy to open the door and to push the stroller through, so people always help me or I ask Ivana to hold the door if it's not too heavy. This one was heavy for her, definetely not for a 12 year old. The boy had seen me struggling with the stroller before and this time he walked past us and as I was preparing to enter after him the door practically slammed into my face. OK! Then he was standing by the elevator and just watching. Watching me struggling again. Trying to hold the door with my foot and pushing the heavy double stroller through. And then there was another door. I had to repeat my manoeuvre. He was still standing and watching by the elevator. I looked at him and he was looking straight at me. He wasn't hiding his eyes, there was no shame, no remorse. "Opening the door for us would've made you that special person", I said. "Not the color of your eyes." There was something in that look after my words. Or at least it looked like that.

I just hope I made him think. If we were just a little bit kinder towards each other, the would've lived in a totally different world.