Meet Anna, the Italian who didn't believe in barriers!

People: Anna

Places: Lucca, Itlay
Philosophy: Barriers? What barriers?

Truth be told, I didn't get this woman's name. She took me by surprise as I was sitting on a picnic table writing postcards to friends and waiting for the sun to set. I was in my own little world when BAM! Anna strolled into the scene! I've decided to call her Anna because it's a universal name and I feel like our encounter was so representative of that. 

She strolled in on the cutest bike, kicked its stand into place, looked at me and in a confidently sweet tone, began speaking to me in Italian as if we were old friends picking up where we left off. She gestured toward the empty bench in front of me. I did not understand a word that came out of her mouth but it was evident that Anna asked if she could join me. I looked at her and just as quickly said, "Si, Si, Si," while mirroring her hand gesture. That seat clearly had her name written all over it! 

She sat, smiled and began what I could only assume was a venting session--HAH! I listened carefully and picked up a few Spanish-ish words. I was so mesmerized by the amount of passion that was radiating from her that I felt almost embarrassed to fess up that I had NO clue what she was saying! 

She stopped and looked at me for a response. I had silently taken note that towards the end of her monologue she pointed and smiled at our view. In a split second, I thought of all the Italian words I knew "Bella (Beautiful)? That works! I'll say Bella!" I thought. Before I could think twice, I said Bella! Bella! while aiming my gaze at the file of huge cypress trees and mountains that could've been painted by Bob Ross himself. 


She smiled and realized with amusement that I wasn't completely following our conversation. But that didn't stop her from continuing, it only seemed to make her more interested. She spoke Italian and I spoke Spanish. We laughed at our use of hand gestures to get our points across; passionately talked about traveling and proudly shared our backgrounds. She had this pride in her that I could identify with and the fact that she understood my questions gave me a sense of accomplishment! 

But just as fast as she strolled into the scene, she strolled right on out with a graceful, "Ciao!" 

I turned around and watched her walk towards a woman who was waiting for her. Refusing to allow the moment to end, I yelled out, "Arrivederci!" She turned back and let out a laugh and said, "Arrivederci!" 

This made me think about moments when we feel like there are obvious barriers (language, cultural or physical barriers) between you and another person. Those moments often result in this insecurity or discomfort. And because of those feelings, we rob ourselves of refreshing human connections like these. 

Anna made me realize that given the opportunity, we can find that common ground. It requires more effort, but the result may just end up being extraordinary. 

Thank you, Anna, for having that "to hell with it" attitude, which opened up the opportunity to show me how there's always a way around barriers!