Today I am linking up with The Gypsy Mama for Five Minute Friday to talk about “See”. My job? Write for five minutes…no editing, no over thinking, no worries.
Go…
I push the grocery cart into the checkout lane, cart bulging with boxes of cereal and granola bars, sweaty jugs of milk, and bags of purple grapes. The kids “help” plop everything on the conveyor belt, a tangled mess of food and supplies, while I manage and scold simultaneously…”great job putting the asparagus up there…don’t put the apple juice on the eggs…”
The cashier works quietly, packing my reusable bags to the brim, and I swing them into my cart without raising my eyes. Digging for my coupons, I set them on the counter and turn to my kids, trying to sneak M & Ms and cellophane bags of orange slices into the pile.
“Sit down!”, I hear myself say. “Don’t eat the donut that fell on the floor!”
I slide my card, punch in my pin, and reach out for my receipt. Looking up, I finally see the cashier, looking at me with the white roll of paper in her hand, line after line of printed numbers under her fingertips. I catch her eye, a brief second that seems like an eternity. Why didn’t I see her…truly see her before now? Why didn’t I make the time to say hello…ask her about her day…look into her eyes and see a person, not just a worker in a grocery store.
How much do I miss when I don’t look and see what is around me?
Too much.
Tears to my eyes. So true.
Shame on me.
Thanks for the reminder. I am off to the grocery store and will remember this.
Blessings,
Felecia
Thanks for visiting, Felecia…we all need the reminder to look around and see what is around us…especially me!
This was arresting, maybe because I find myself in that scenario multiple times a week! Your writing is so vivid, and I truly enjoyed this post. More than that… thank you for encouraging me to look around and really see people!
Amy…thanks so much for your encouragement and for visiting – I feel like I look “past” people so often, so it was a great reminder for me too…
Oh, how well I can relate to the checkout line experience. SO true. It’s so hard to really look at those around us in the midst of our own…living, huh? This was very well written!
Found you through Gypsy Mama.
Janice…Yes – in the middle of living, we forget to see anything else, especially with kids around our ankles…:) Thanks for visiting!
First, I love the way you write. You drew me a perfect picture of this scene. 🙂
Second, Ah! I so know those busy distractions that keep us from seeing. I’ve noticed lately how much I enjoy shopping alone because I feel so connected with those I encounter. Now I realize I could have those same encounters if I purposefully become aware of who/what is around me. Eyes wide open!
Thanks so much Laurie! I agree – it’s usually a whole new world when I shop alone…I notice so much more! But I also agree…it takes intention to look around in the midst of the chaos and still notice what is happening around us! Thanks for visiting…
Dear momma, seeing beyond those small lives you teach will get easier as they grow. There will be a season where you see each person in the store. But you might miss the small shopping companions. =)
Thanks Laura! You are right…they are “interesting” shopping companions! 🙂