23 juillet 2015

We started playing ping-pong together. He was different from you and me because he had a handicap. Maybe mental, maybe physical, maybe both. We played for one hour. He was clumsy but pretty much as me, and was better to count the points. I thought he was portuguese and we had no way to understand each-other verbally. Our conversation began with some smiles. After our first laugh, we started to make faces. Thirty minutes passed and we were stretching our bodies in every direction and using our hands to comment the game and share funny jokes. At that point, we realized that we were both French. I’m glad we didn’t before. Our conversation would probably not have been so flowing because of our first difference. It’s exactly as in mathematics : if you multiply two “minus”, you get a positive number.

- I’m a comedian. I can show you a picture.

I saw a tall pink bear.

- That’s me. I go on the street like this, and I live from that. I couldn’t do that when I was in France. People were looking at me as if I was a total idiot. They were afraid. Here they don’t care.

It could be that they are real cultural differences. Or it could be that he was out of his routine and managed to find the right environment or to change the way he was looking at himself. The fact remains that he was here and seemed happy.

“There was a time when I was not able to speak and walk. Today I’m abroad, living my life by myself. In my case, it’s obvious that I’m handicapped, but who is not ? Each of us has its own infirmity and should become aware of that, that’s where our strength and our beauty come from.

I will tell you what love is about. One can be Sharon Stone and have the perfect bust, but it’s totally useless. What matters is inside. Our heart is a marvel from God, where the connection takes place.”

Lisbonne