Shunning the Shuffle...for now.

I'm a big fan of walks. Two days ago, I disembarked to explore the city just before sunset. A lot of times, I grab my ipod to accompany me, and allow myself to let my mind wander as my feet do, too. But on this occasion, I forgot it at the apartment, so I walked in silence instead - and what a wonderful mistake it was. I came across a park tucked into the center of the city called Doña Castilde.

This was a weekend night just after sunset, and it seemed like everyone who lived on the surrounding blocks was in that park. Dozens of kids ran and played and screamed in Spanish (which leads me, for some reason, to think of these kids as tiny little grownups. I don't know why, but when I hear children speaking in foreign languages, I automatically think they are little geniuses. I think that I fail to recognize that it is the only language they know.) Old women sat on benches and talked, while parents gathered near the playground and chatted as they supervised. Clusters of middle-aged women sipped coffee at the neighboring patio cafe, and a lot of families took laps around the pond. Two kids flew by on their scooters as I stopped to watch an older man take on four 8-year-olds in soccer.

It really was a scene straight out of a movie. People don't gather like that at home. And I was happy to take it all in - including the sounds of grandmothers gossiping, kids laughing, mothers calling after their children (or scolding them) - collectively, the jumbled sound of Spanish murmurs and conversation in a tiny little community where I have been convinced that everyone is best friends.

As much as I love Brad Paisley and Jimmy Buffet, I was grateful to be walking solo that night.