Nô Barbosa

Brazilians are quite superstitious and are said to have a sixth sense. They believe they have a connection to other, non-visible realities.

Nô Barbosa, owner of this shop where you can find ANYTHING for your household - electric showers, plastic tubes, ropes in all colors, screws, cups, etc. - has these peircing eyes that see right through you. Just by looking at you he can tell what you came looking for in his shop. At least that's what people say about him. When you come into his shop, he always asks you very politely: "What can I get for you?" - not because he wouldn't already know, but because he is a gentleman and doesn't like to show off his supernatural skills.

"Nonsense", I thought. "But I admit that it is great marketing."

One day, as he saw me approach his shop, he disappeared behind his shelves. When I stepped through his door, he was already waiting for me with a hot cup of coffee. It was exactly what I had been longing for.

This is just to say that reason isn't always the ultimate answer to everything. At least not in Brazil.

(UPDATE: The news of Leonard Cohen's death saddened me, but as the day goes by the tears are replaced by a profound sense of gratitude for all that he has given us through his songs and stories.)