'I was once standing on an escalator in Melbourne ascending from the underground train system. Lots of people were pushing past so I was being jostled but then — and I can still feel it — a woman placed her hand on my arm. I turned around and she said, "It'd be easier if you stood over to the other side of the escalator." She had a lovely voice, and a manner that seemed to give a window into a life well lived and well liked. Her touch, her hand on my arm, was filled with warmth ... The woman's touch, her hand on my arm, was warm; it had the characteristic of demonstrating the heart. I moved to the other side of the escalator, she grinned and sipped her coffee, and I thought "I'm sure your friends must love you".'
p150
Pádraig Ó Tuama
In the Shelter: Finding a home in the world.
Hodder 2015
