Every home in the valley is filled with families. ‘Stuffed’ I should say. Several generations, a couple couples, and many, many children. There are no quiet houses with elderly retired couples counting out their last days pruning roses and playing bridge. There are no creepy single guys to follow with a wary eye through parted curtains. No childless couples, no lonely divorcees, and certainly no bachelor pads.
Despite the differences in our language, our skin color, religion, economic status, or any other of the vast divides that seem impossible to bridge, every new person we meet, from the taxi driver, to the farmer, to the mule skinner, they all have children in their lives. The difference is extraordinary. Imagine being able to take for granted that every person you run across is at ease with kids. You no longer feel the need to apologize for them when the act up at the grocery store. Your waiter doesn’t cringe at the sight of you. People are kind, helpful, and generally thrilled to see them.
