I ventured down the mountain this morning to run errands with the little one. I stopped at the Starbucks inside of Target. No one was in there. I asked the lovely barista how she was doing. She said, “Fine!”
I said, “Let’s try that again. How are you really doing? And let’s not use the word ‘fine.’ Give me something that tells me the beauty in you.”
She looked at me with her big blue eyes and stopped the busyness.
“Wow! Thank you for asking. I am lovely today. I feel like I am in a good place. It’s a Good day. Easy morning. Is it cold outside?”
I answered, “It’s dropping quickly!”
She asked what I wanted and I looked at her again asking about her day. If she was working a long shift? If she gets tired of coffee? Small talk but it allowed a small window into her world.
As she made my drink she said that it’s so difficult to connect with people. Everyone asks how they are doing but no one cares or really listens. It’s as if people are ants moving along a colony rushing to nowhere really!
We shared pleasantries. She was surprised at Kali’s generous manners and comments. Kali said to Amanda, the barista, that she had pretty eyes. The young woman laughed.
Here is the thing I find shocking and a bit disturbing: how much time does it take for anyone to really stop, ask someone about their day, and share a compliment or kindness? Are we really that lost in technology, or the addiction of chaos, that we have forgotten to be present with everyone around us? I get it! I get busy too. But, somehow I have learned to stay in the moment whenever I am out in public. And if there is no one behind me I take a little longer. It takes twenty seconds to say something nice!
My life changed drastically three years ago while leaving this human body and returning. I promised myself that whoever is in front of me, whether it’s a cashier, a homeless person, a child, an elderly soul, or anyone I would try to stay present. I would truly listen and notice their energy. Most of the time I can live up to my promise. Some days are a little challenging but it is then that I make a point of breathing the love from Humanity and allowing the flow of our existence move through me. I would be delusional to believe that our energies and frequencies aren’t connected. I have seen way too much to deny another a little attention.
Every single day you get a huge opportunity to be a kind human being. You get to practice spirituality and compassion with another. You get to be in the scope of Divinity. Let’s be mindful. We aren’t robots. You never know how that other person needs your words. This is our playground and we are here to share it with others. We are also responsible for teaching our children good manners and to also be respectful and kind with
Strangers.
I love you. Be kind. Be the best version of your humanness possible. Stop whenever possible and really notice the world around you!