I drink a glass of wine and toast your inspiration. Thank you, Eric, for breaking out.

Peace, love, and liberation from suffering,

To use your photo you’ll need to register. To register, you’ll need to visit:

http://projecthola.com/en/wp-register.php

You’ll be the first to register =) Let me know how it works!

Thanks for sharing your wear-a-name-tag day story and your day-after-wear-a-name-tag story!

I agree that we need more practice. See the header/banner at the top of this web page. It should be announcing the next wear-a-name-tag day, which is Saturday, September 1, 2012. The first Saturday of September every year =)

=) Eric

As I thought, the only public place I went on Saturday was the ranch. Sophia and I put on name tags, but the horses already knew us!

So, I wore my tag the next day at the horse show in Norco – an event that can bring out the invisible walls in the best of us. But as I picked up Sophia’s show number, the volunteer said brightly, “Hello, Suzanne!” Only after she read my name tag did she realize that she already knew me. We played catch up on what our respective equestrian daughters had been doing since we last saw each other over 2 years ago, and I got to meet the show manager. Lots of smiles in, yes, quite the elite venue, albeit at the bottom rungs thereof.

Can this be an annual event? We need more practice!

Thanks, and I expect to do this every year!

I live in a rural/wilderness interface “resort” community that includes a hefty proportion of folks who really just want to be left alone to interact with people just like themselves. So, I am inclined to let them.

On Father’s Day, I dragged my husband out to walk the dogs and kids around the lake and reached out beyond my preconceptions for two lovely encounters that made my life more happy. First, as we approached a curve in the path, a bench sits facing the lake. A man and a young boy sat, each wearing a different kind of hat. The glistening lake water outlined the silhouettes of their backs and the outlines of the hats – one tall, one lower.

I thought, what a lovely picture for Father’s Day. So I handed my dog over to the husband and asked the man if he had a camera. He pointed down the bank to his friend who had one with a lens about two feet long! No, I said, just something to take a photo of the two of you, because it looks so cute from behind here with your hats. He handed me his cell phone, I took the photo, and he sent it to his father right away.

Just a moment to say “hola.”

About a mile further we saw two brawny young men carrying mechanical looking bows with spears attached by a substantial nylon line. Chris inquired of what they were hunting. We then engaged in a rather involved conversation about invasive carp, overgrown, discarded goldfish, game laws, tourism and life stories. Overall, rather pleasant and informative.

I have become much more closed in on myself, focused on my own tasks, and do not speak with “strangers” very much. Yes, I do try to engage the check-out clerk in genuine conversation, but it’s a chore because it is more efficient to just move on.

Wandering amidst a world of isolated strangers who none-the-less live vitally interconnected lives impoverishes the human experience and endangers overall survival. Breaking out of the isolation, silence and indifference offers adventure, contented connection and happiness.

Wishing you good luck on your trip!

Hope the enchiladas were tasty!