Oh Look! The Dalai Lama!!

Lots of photos of the Dalai Lama on the news today. Reminds Alice and me of a funny day in Carmel, California this past July. There she was walking to the car right outside an art shop. Alice saw an oil portrait of the Dalai Lama and shouted outloud, "Oh look! The Dalai Lama!!" to her sister and me who were in the car. Sister rolled her eyes. We had been sitting in the car for a while waiting for Alice. It seems everyone who walked past said the same thing in the same happy surprised tone of voice.
As a genuine Tibetan myself (by way of New Mexico), it always gladdens my heart when anyone pays attention to my homeland.
And I know for sure His Holiness himself would laugh out loud at that scene in Carmel. He has a great sense of humor. Just as he showed today when he patted a reporter's cheek when the reporter asked - let's face it - a rather silly question.