Alright, I’m going to be honest… we’ve had to hop into another language for this one! Because as much as I could have written a whole post about xylophones, I’m not entirely sure that would have gone anywhere particularly meaningful. So instead, we’re borrowing a rather lovely word from ancient Greek: xenia.
It means hospitality. Kindness to strangers. Welcoming people in, treating them well, making them feel comfortable. Such a simple idea… and yet, not always something you come across in everyday life.
Now, this does make me chuckle a little bit, because as much as I love living here in Portugal (and I truly do), there are definitely moments where xenia feels… slightly lacking lol.
We’ve all experienced it, haven’t we? You walk into a café, all ready for a nice coffee, and the person behind the counter looks at you as if to say, “what on earth do you want?” No smile, no warmth, just a sort of reluctant acceptance of your presence.
And instead of avoiding those places… we’ve done the opposite. Michael and I — and my neighbour too, actually — have made it a bit of a challenge. The goal? To keep going back until we make them smile. I mean, why not?
There was one place near Alvor, a beautiful little spot overlooking the beach. The view was absolutely stunning… but the man working there was, quite frankly, a bit of a dragon. Always miserable, never a smile, barely a word.
But we kept going. Again and again. Partly because we loved the view, and partly because we were determined. Surely, at some point, we’d crack it. We never did. Not once. And the place has since closed down… which, if I’m honest, didn’t entirely surprise me. I can’t help but wonder if a little bit more warmth might have made a difference.
Because that’s the thing about xenia. It might seem like a small thing — a smile, a kind word, a bit of friendliness — but it changes everything. It makes people feel welcome, seen, appreciated. And when that’s missing, you really notice it.
I’ve always believed in treating people the way I’d want to be treated. With kindness, with respect, with a bit of warmth. Not in a big, dramatic way… just in those small, everyday interactions that add up over time.
Because you never really know what someone else is going through. And sometimes, something as simple as a smile can shift someone’s entire day.
So while we might joke about it, and even turn it into a bit of a challenge, I do think there’s something quite important in that idea of xenia. Being open. Being kind. Being welcoming. Even if you don’t always get it back.
This is something I touch on in my book too — that idea of kindness, connection, and how the smallest actions can have a bigger impact than we realise. If that resonates, you can find it on Amazon and if you google The Enchanted Midlife by Suzy Turner, you will also find it on numerous other online bookstores (it’s available as an ebook AND a paperback—and in Portuguese too!).
If you’re taking part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year, let me know in the comments so I can check out your posts. And if you’d like to catch up on the rest of mine, you can find some of them here: A is for Alchemy, B is for Becoming, C is for Cycles, D is for Disillusionment, E is for Energy, F is for Flaws, G is for Grumpy, H is for Hormones, I is for Intuition, J is for Joy, K is for Kindness, L is for Laughter, M is for Midlife, N is for Nourish, O is for Overthinking, P is for Purpose, Q is for Quiet, R is for Rubbish, S is for Silly, T is for Today, U is for Unwind, V is for Values, W is for Wonder.
