He stops me in the park, the man in the patterned sleeping pants and baggy sweatshirt, no coat despite the cold. Grizzled beard. Red patches on the cheeks. A face that has faced several lives.
After we exchange passing-by greetings he calls out, “You look like a nun.” A nun? I reply. Stunned because I there isn’t anything remotely religious-looking about me.
“That nun from ‘The Sound of Music’,” he chirps. With emphasis. With a brightness to his voice.
I laugh and we both keep walking away from each other, beneath the lightening winter sky.
After a few moments I realize that he meant the Julie Andrews’ character: the mischievous young nun that daydreams and sings and makes clothes out of curtains (which some might see as inventive or finding creative solutions to challenging situations…).
I smile. Maybe even hum a few bars.
barbara fletcher 