"Hippies"

I finally figured out why I love hippies so much!...well, at least one reason...anyway.
Most people who know me, know that I used to work at a store called Good Earth. Its a health food store, and if there is a hippie population in Utah County they are sure to be found there. People who know me also know I lived in Northern California for the first half of my life, so hippies and health food stores are like home to me. But I recently had an experience there that showed me why I have such a soft spot for them--that goes way beyond their being familiar to me.
I was talking to someone who has become a dear friend of mine, and fits the category of "hippie" perfectly. I made some stupid comment (I can't even remember what now), thinking I was being funny. But--as with so many other things that come out of my mouth--I didn't really think about it first...and in the moments that followed its escape from my tounge I immediately saw how thoughtless and stupid it was to make such a comment. In trying to excuse myself for such a statement I made the comment, "Sorry, too much info..." to which my friend immediately responded, "There is no such thing."
At first I thought she was trying to be nice and spare me the embarrassment I was obviously feeling...but then I thought about it, and kept thinking about it...and I remembered different situations I had been in with her and people to whom I would say she is similar...and other conversations that I had had with these people...I don't know why it stuck with me so long, but a few days later I finally saw what she was actually saying. She was saying that if it was important to me, then it was important to her. If it was something that I wanted to say, then it was something that she wanted to hear. She didn't care if it was important, or silly, or groundbreaking, or insightful, or ridiculous...the fact that it came from someone she cares about was all she needed to make a statement worth listening to--not that she necessarily agreed with it...but she wouldn't ridicule it, or spurn further communication because of it. And I've seen those sentiment repeatedly expressed at Good Earth, by people whom I--and most others--would call "hippies"...
I've been thinking about that for months now...ever since it happened. And I've noticed that such love and warmth is not a very common thing. I have family who don't even treat my statements that way...not that I'm very good about treating the statements of others that way either, because I'm really not...but how sad is that? For the most part, we only want to hear certain things from each other. We have such boundaries as to what we're willing to listen to and discuss. Please don't misunderstand me. I really don't enjoy listening to anti-religious rhetoric, being so deeply religious myself. And it has to be admitted that there are some people with whom a conversation will accomplish nothing when it comes to some topics. But to refuse to listen to someone talk about their thoughts on some point of philosophy, or part--or maybe even all-- of their life's story...how sad is that? Think of what that sort of behavior may be leading us to miss out on. There is not much that is more beautiful than 2 souls understanding each other on one level or another...and for us to purposefully shut down that possibility of understanding is tragic!
Anyway...Point being that this is just one more reason that I think "hippies" are wonderful people, and well worth emulating in many--certainly not all--but many aspects.