Prior to Flight

"This morning a friend said to me, 'You look good!'  

I appreciated the compliment, of course, 

but I also felt a little amused.  

I almost wanted to reply, 

'What do you mean?  I am good.'"

Eknath Easwaran

Wednesday is Senior Day at Food Fantasies, a health food store of my choosing.  Their employees all seem to be knowledgeable no matter who comes to assist in most any department.  The staff seems to enjoy each other and it is often times a fun atmosphere.  

While I was in line to check out, the woman in front of me had a variety of items.  I watched each one being set upon the counter while I wondered how she specifically used them.  Once her order was totaled, she paid by credit card.  The transaction completed, she noticed the employee had overlooked her small package of dill seeds.  My immediate response was, "Just ring it up with mine," as I had already assembled the few items I had up on the counter.  Both employee and customer looked at me in surprise.  "I have the money," the woman defensively replied.  I laughed and said, "Please, my good deed for the day."  

The reason for mentioning this at all was how surprised these people were by my willingness to pay for a small package of dill seeds for a stranger.  Therein lies the problem.  Too often we believe everyone around us is a stranger, and there is the saying, "Be ware of stranger-danger!"  

How different our lives would be if we were not so tightly bound by fear.  If we hear alarms in our heads or see red flags, by all means retreat; but, I wish we would eagerly acknowledge the goodness in each other prior to flight.