Not to be shy to throw words out in a language I don't speak so I can get a new person's attention.
That most people sense what you are searching for, who you like, and when you are genuine, but only children will chatter that truth into your ears because "mind your own business" doesn't count if your smile is wide enough to make everyone's business your business and if it is more fun not to "mind" anything
That if you open your eyes wide enough to see the whole world but only look into one set of eyes, slide a your tiny hand lightly into theirs, and let your shoulders dance you will get a hug.
That it completely normal to be reenacting a motorcycle accident one minute--violently flinging your body, whirling in circles and screaming "Whizz," "Pzz" and "WAP" noises--and doze off in the grass the next.
That if I want something, ask for it. If the answer is, "No" shrug and smile.
That a hand in mine is security.
That if a tiny face thinks something is funny enough to giggle over then it is.
That the body warmth of a Mamie's arm knot is the best commodity.
That if I trip on my own dignity, get mud all over my legs, scrape my elbow on plant spines, rip running shorts on tree bark, skin my knees on gravel and blow snot into toilet paper, I won't die.
That I can see a boat fly over a bridge, a worm swallow a goat whole, an airplane rain ripe bananas, a flower turn into a butterfly, and a spider roar like a lion.
That I can mix mango juice with salty beef stew in my mouth, just to see how it tastes, then announce to everyone, "It was gross but I swallowed it because Sara said I can't spit food into my juice."
That at 6:30pm while I am sitting at the table, holding a fork over a plate of rice, beans and fish, there are five billion things I can talk about, look at, and point to that have nothing to do eating.
That at 7:20pm when I my grownup friends say I will have to eat alone if I don't finish my food soon, I can shovel the entire plate into my mouth in 10 minutes.
That the best place to hide is behind a Papa's leg.
That the prettiest view of Haiti is from a seat on top of someone else's shoulders.
That people are born knowing how to dance but they forget how because they learn to get nervous instead.
That the best person to emulate is the most ridiculous one.
That if you tell someone what they are good at, they will do it better.
That a Blan with blue eyes must have more toys than anyone in the world.
That it is terrifying when someone in scrubs with a stethoscope hanging from his neck wraps my bent arm in plaster because he could be trying to turn me into the Egyptian mummy I learned about at school.
To smile; to ask questions about the answers to questions I just asked; to talk till my breath runs out, put my hands on my knees, drop my head, gasp some breaths and then talk some more; to fight for the attention of grownups as if my livelihood depended on it.
