On Making Someone's Day

24.04.04 Plitvice National Park
I don't know which is more enormous: Plitvice's magnificence or its surface area. These 16 lakes contain thousands of big waterfalls and little waterfalls and in-between waterfalls, all of which are burgeoning with water and gushing over bridges and walkways. It's been raining all day, which explains why all these waterfalls are overflowing. Most tourists are indoors to keep their feet dry. It's a bit lonely poking around the park, but it's also peaceful. It's just me, the waterfalls and the rain.

The path I'm following curves, and I see a group of Asian tourists. Eight or nine pose for a picture as the designated picture taker prepares to take a shot.

Then they see me.

The whole group starts shouting with glee. They are all shouting in a language I don't speak. To my anglophone ears, it sounds lke "YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!" I understand. Of course I will take a photo of the whole group. They don't even have to ask.

I snap two shots, each bringing more ecstatic shouts from the crowd. As I walk to hand back the camera to its owner, everyone starts applauding. The group parts as I walk through to continue on my way. "Thank you! Thank you!" every single one of them says. There is still a lot of that YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY going on, too. Everyone is laughing and so so happy, including me.

That silly expression 'to feel like a million bucks' suddenly makes sense to me. I just made 10 people's day, all at once. All I did was take a picture. What a great feeling.