My new favorite word

African Iris, June 2021

 IGUALMENTE

Igualmente is my new favorite word. I first heard it at a local food pantry where I volunteer to help clients get registered and signed up for the day. Many of them are Spanish speaking, so we communicate as best we can with my poco espanol and their poco ingles (little bit of Spanish and little bit of English). 

Once a week, I greet an average of a hundred people as they come to pick up a box of produce and pantry items for their family. They pull up in their car and roll down their window. I use my phone to look up their registration number in a city-wide database and record their visit. Before they drive away, I usually say some combination of "Thank you, take care, have a good day, God bless you." In response, I sometimes hear, "Igualmente." 

        From an online Spanish dictionary, Igualmente is a response given when one person says                        something positive to another person and the other reciprocates by saying igualmente.
        For example:
        person 1 : ;Mucho gusto'' (pleased to meet you)
        person 2 ''Igualmente'' (ie I feel the same way too)

There is something about this word. It seems to communicate - "The thing you want or wish for me, I also want or wish for you." The blessing or good word that I offer is returned back to me with a warm generosity of spirit. We smile with our eyes, and speak blessing. Beyond my immediate family, these have been my closest in-person interactions through the COVID pandemic. The brief exchanges are short, often less than a minute, but they are moments of connection and grace. 

*Learn more about the Fair Haven Food Pantry here.