In All My Travels - Aug. 17, 2026

all those glorious temples and old churches,

museums of antiquities and art,

every ancient place of myth and lore

and truly, every wonder of the world

never matched that hug by the

fan-selling old woman in China

playing hackie sack in a circle of Balinese

or talking life at the table of a Cuban family

I am crazy about connection

love meeting people with

questions about their family

where they work and live,

eventually finding the moment

when walls crack and I get a peek

at the welcome room

where people bring a new friend

it’s not even about love

but the threads strung between our webs

it’s the shock of similarity that shouts

you can’t hate someone you know

and with a lingering hug,

that truth cuts even deeper