Familiar
At the grocery store
and even though I’d not been in a while,
most people looked familiar,
they looked human,
the beauty of being human peeked out from each person,
even if in a hurry, distracted, or focused,
even if grumpy,
I could see their beauty,
and I welcomed them…
with acknowledgement,
a glance,
a smile,
a “you go first”
with an absence of fear and guardedness.
I was singing out loud in that store—
who knew shopping could be so joy-filled?
And so I realized that, like making friends,
we can also make strangers,
and for a little while I forgot how to do that.
I realized that my willingness to become vulnerable,
and welcome my authentic self,
was bearing fruit.