Lesson From Madrid

“This is good advice for life in general. Look up from the screen. Who knows, in looking one another in the eyes again, we might begin to recover the habits of respect and civility that are now so sorely missed.” —Michael Sacasas, from his blog The Frailest Thing, 9.16.10

My husband wrote me from Madrid the other evening:

“Sixty percent of the people on these wide beautiful boulevards don’t look up. They’re hooked into phones or iPods or some kind of electronic device. There are also many older couples walking the streets of Madrid and they look far more in love than most of the young ones. They’re not in a hurry trying to multi-task each step of the way. These are people that have obviously nourished their love over the years and simply feel all they need by walking hand in hand.”

Hand in hand. All they need. No more words are required.

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