Mehmedalija Šljivić, known to all as Meho, can be quite a nuisance. Knowing everyone in Motovun by name, as well as knowing the whole hilltown inside and out, he is hard to shake off. A bit of a village idiot, he talks and laughs forever. Some people shoo him off in mock or real anger, but most of them either run away from him or do their best not to pay him any attention. It is hard, though. He goes on and on until most people cannot stand it any longer. In the end, they give up and shuffle away. But I have learned to blot him out by meditation of sorts. Although I can hear him talk and laugh right next to me, I become oblivious to the noise he makes after a rather short while. By and by, I cannot even guess what it is that he is talking and laughing about. Seeing that all his efforts to entertain me are to no avail, he shuts up and walks away all by himself. The Meho yoga, as I call it, works wonders with all sorts of nuisances we cannot shake off in our daily lives, village idiots included. After all, yoga is an eminently practical pursuit.

Addendum (May 29, 2022)

Several months ago, everyone in Motovun noticed that Meho was nowhere to be seen. No matter how bothersome he could be at times, people started worrying. As it turned out, he had a stroke. He ended up in hospital, and it appeared that he would not be able to walk ever again. Judging by the comments one could hear all over the hilltown, everyone was concerned about Meho’s health. A few days ago, though, he passed away. He was sixty-seven years old. One more time, most people who knew him were far from happy about the loss. A village idiot or not, he was one of us, as it were. And that is how I, too, feel about Meho’s demise. One way or another, I will miss his shenanigans. But the Meho yoga will stay with me till my last breath, I am pretty sure. Three cheers for village idiots!