The Grand Adventure of Going Outside...

I went to the super market yesterday.  And as I was walking in, I realized what an opportunity it was to deepen my spiritual connection: to God, to others.

Most of the time I go into the store in a hurry.  I do not think about all the people who work there, all the people shopping just like me.  I don’t think about anyone.  Just me and my list.  Hurrying to get it and get on with my day.

Yesterday was no different.  I was in a hurry.  I spent a long time editing my book and time got away from me.  I had dinner company coming and I needed to figure out what I was making them.

But as I walked into the store it was as if time slowed.  I felt as though I was observing myself walk in, like I was hanging just behind my right shoulder, watching myself as I proceeded through the front door.

The store was busy at 4 pm on a Monday.  There were many people all over the place, shopping, talking, blocking a fast pace through the store.

But as I moved forward in my task, I saw every single person as an opportunity for kindness.  That every person who crossed my path was a being, just like me, who needed to get this one task done so they could get on with another.  I became interested, maybe a little obsessed even, with where they were going next.  Were they running home to cook for their family?  Were they going to be eating alone in front of the TV?  Did they feel loved and appreciated for their efforts?  Were they in pain - emotionally, physically, spiritually?  Did they feel loved and supported in their lives? Did they too feel the dystopic malaise that was my usual feeling while at a grocery store?

These questions loomed large for me as I gathered my dinner items.  I made an effort to make eye contact and smile at those passing by.  I felt a part of that grocery store community even as my pace quickened and I made my way to the check out.

As I was leaving the store I realized that every encounter, every single action we take on a daily basis is a grand one.  Us leaving the confines of our home and going outside puts us in the way of others, of beauty, of an opportunity to connect with other beings who may be having the worst day of their lives, or perhaps more positively, the best day of their lives and everything in between.

It was a new thought to think of the menial tasks of every day living as some opportunity for a grand adventure.  I typically think of Africa or Australia or some other remote foreign land.  But it occurred to me yesterday that just leaving the confines of your home creates a chance for something wonderful to happen while at the very same time creating an opportunity for life to fuck you over and up.

It occurred to me on the bread aisle that we are all these itinerant beings spinning through our lives, bouncing off each other as we attempt to find satisfaction, ease and peace.  And how much our singleness of purpose, us, robs us of the every day connections that abound, just outside our front door.

Perhaps you have never had a life altering experience in Vons, but I did yesterday.  I saw all the opportunities I missed as I navigated the aisles.  All the other sentient beings who were there seeking sustenance just like me.  Who were weary, perhaps, just like me.  Who were alone, just like me.  Who were capable of altering my life forever, just like me.

As I vacated the store and carrying my one bag of groceries to my car, I found myself strangely connected to other people.  I didn’t want to get away from them like I usually do.  I saw these weird others to be an opportunity for connection whereas when I walked into the store I saw them only as impediments.

Outside, be it nature or your local grocery market, can be a grand adventure in living, loving and connecting, but first, as always, I must get out of my own way...

Again, still...