I saw the flowering bushes first, then the trees arching over the road, creating a gate of lush greenery framing the forest beyond. Next came the people, a steady flow of villagers passing below the flowers and into the forest glade beyond. And then this: two young children and a chicken walked past me. The joyful girl had both hands pressed to her shoulders as if she was miming a song. The smaller child held one hand on top of his head as well. At that very moment, a man suddenly appeared in the opening at the end of the road, holding an infant in a sling. I don’t know if these people were related or not – it would be nice if these children were walking towards their own father. It doesn’t really matter, however. In a village this small, everyone knows and cares about each other, related or not. I will always remember this moment in time and light and space before me, and the magical atmosphere of vitality it created. It was a moment filled with love, joy, and above all, life.