Sometimes, you hear a common word spoken in a way that infused it with meaning. In Japan, everywhere you go you are greeted with "irasshaimasen", the Japanese word for welcome. Women bow at the bottom of escaluators, shop keepers acknowledge your presence with the word and family members greet you when you arrive back home with the same word. It is everywhere. Its deep meaning is naturally lost in its familiar use.
On disc 2 of the Waifs live album "A Brief History", Vikki follows up the opening song of a gig with a simple word; 'welcome'. She says it in a way that invites the audience to be at home, to be the recipients of hospitality. I love the way she says it. I heard it again this morning while I was stuffing our breakfast tomatoes with fresh basil.
Today we ventured south of Coffs to Sawtell. It is a great little town. We wandered along the beach, around the headlands and through the shops. One shop was particularly enjoyable. Blues music was playing softly, the whole front of the shop was open. it had some of the best books titles I've browsed in a long time. I flipped through a coffee table book creatively crafted around aspects of travel and a small recipe book on comfort food. It also stocked CDs and vinyl records. Right across the the front of the store was a giant mat with one word emblazened on it, "welcome".