The Village Idiot, and Cats Can Be Themselves

photo credit: internet

Living in a small town means you get to see the same people over and over again. You begin to recognize your neighbors, the shop owners and even the village idiot of which there is one here in Alghero who is quite funny.

As expected, the village idiot has his own unique personality, and this one is no exception. Every time I walk past him he looks me straight in the eye and says, "ciao!" with exuberance. At first I didn't know whether to answer or not, but when I realized he said "ciao" to everyone that walked past him, I decided it was okay to reply. After all, how many people actually look you in the eye and say hello on an average day?

It seemed to me that this cross-eyed, buck-toothed little man of about 40 was probably happier than the average Joe. He went about his day saying, "ciao!" with such glee that I wondered, "do you have to be an idiot to say hello to strangers?" It's not to be mean or anything, it's really just to ask, "who's the real idiot here?"

Most people go about their day minding their own business (sort of) ignoring people on the street if they don't know them. But this village idiot probably knows everybody in Alghero. He probably has more friends than the average Joe too.

I don't know much about the village idiot, but I know that he spends his day spreading some good cheer on the streets of Alghero. Whether this makes him an idiot or not, doesn't matter. The fact that he does it makes him smart in my book.

photo: Keren Bensoussan "a cat in Porto Rotondo"

Cats Can Be Themselves

Other than the village idiot spreading good cheer, there are the cats. I came to realize that Sardinia was the place for me when I saw how many cats there were. But it wasn't the fact that there were lots of cats that pleased me. It was the fact that the cats were so easy going and free to be themselves that made me smile.

The cats walk around just like the people do, minding their own business. They are also rather calm which is a sign that they are accepted and liked. I have met cats in different parts of Sardinia who, like the village idiot, have their unique personality. On the Isola della Maddalena for example, they were a bit more skittish, maybe a little more wild too. But here in Alghero, they're cool cats going about their day like everybody else.

I haven't yet picked up my Jojo from Perugia, but seeing that Sardinia is cat friendly, I think her next stop will be Alghero.