Carolyn Wharton Holloway, People Who Need People, or Maybe a Donkey

Carolyn Wharton Holloway

Do you remember the Barbara Streisand song from 1964 Funny Girl, “People Who Need People are the Luckiest People in the World?”  I have had the good fortune to have traveled extensively and to have seen castles, cathedrals, and Roman walls built in 700, all of which seem to blur together.  What I now recognize is that the real importance of those travels is not the places and things but the people I have met along the way.  I am one of those lucky people because I have grown to appreciate that happiness can exist in many different lifestyles. 

Recently I was reminded about that luck.  I traveled to Morocco in May with a small group which was one of the first to enter that country since the COVID pandemic began.  One of our excursions was to a tiny Berber village at the base of the Atlas Mountains. The clay-type homes were built into the mountainside. The interiors had clay benches with a few cushions which seemed to serve for sleeping as well as gathering, a kitchen area with an open fire stove, and an area for animals. The villagers raised vegetables and a few animals for food.  Most remarkably,  we were told many times that these people were very happy with these spartan lifestyles.

 However, some years before the pandemic one Berber woman was widowed and having great difficulty providing these necessities for not only herself but also for her sisters and their children.  Using innovation, she started inviting a small tour group to her home once a month to have tea and share the Berber lifestyle.  Since no tourists were allowed into the country during the pandemic, she was forced to sell all but one of her sheep so she could support herself and her family.  In addition, the donkey that she used to carry water to her home died just two weeks before our visit.  Needless to say, she was overjoyed to host us. Before we left, our small group decided to collect enough money for her to buy a new donkey.  The tour guide just emailed us a photo with her and the donkey laden with large clay jugs. (Editor’s note: the above photo shows not Carolyn’s hostess, but another Berber woman,  whose donkey is laden with herbs for market in the Atlas Mountains.)

Yes, we were lucky because we could help one person, but it made each of us reflect about our own lives. That thought brings me to our upcoming reunion.  I was lucky to attend East High School in Wichita and to meet friends that I will never forget. I also appreciated the diversity among the student body.   That diversity, which included ethnic, political, religious, socio-economic, and sexual orientation, made it a little easier to understand the lives of people around the world, including those who depend on donkeys to sustain their livelihoods.

 Our classmates’ lives have taken many paths.  Every one of us has a life story, some of which could challenge even the best novel. I am sure that all of you can relate people experiences such as this.  Now we have the opportunity to meet and share.  Hope to see all of you at the reunion!