@willasaywhat

I went to a fireworks show last week. My family had found a nice place to sit on a low wall and I was trying to save the space while the wife and kids wandered a bit. This older guy, probably in his 70s just came right up and squeezed in next to me even though there was not really enough room. Like we were completely touching when he sat. He said something in Spanish and then kind of patted me on the leg like I was an old friend or maybe even a son? It was kind of a familiar, affectionate gesture. It might have made someone else uncomfortable but it immediately made me feel connected to him somehow. So, I scooted over a bit and gave up some space for him…figured I could stand when the family got back if necessary.

After a minute or two he turned to me and said “Spanish?” and I said “Un poquito” (a little bit). And then he asked me when the fireworks would start and how long the show would be, which I managed to both understand and answer in a way that he seemed to understand despite my lousy Spanish. He asked me where I was from, I asked him where he was from (he enthusiastically said “¡Colombiano!”). We had a whole little chat in elementary school level Spanish. Probably the longest conversation I’ve had in Spanish outside of a classroom and it’s been close to 30 years since I’ve taken a Spanish class.

The fireworks started and he stood next to me and my family as we watched. After a few minutes a woman (his wife, if I had to guess) came through the crowd to get him. Before he left, he tapped me on the shoulder and smiled and shook my hand before he disappeared into the crowd.

@willasaywhat Games Done Quick has, since noon central on Sunday, raised $724,689 edit: $773,620 for Doctors Without Borders, and the number has gone up since I started typing this.

It will last until Saturday night/Sunday morning (again, central timezone), and will almost certainly finish with a grand total of more than $2.5 million for 'em. :)

@willasaywhat I've been watching these compilation videos of people overcoming challenges, winning competitions, and in general doing great things.

My favorite so far was a clip of a blind kid, maybe 5 years old, being brave and stepping down from a curb by himself.

And, unlike many youtube compilation video channels, they list all of their sources with links to the original videos/creators.

https://www.youtube.com/@win-compilation