True confession time: I dread going to the grocery store.  Not exactly at the top of my “most exciting things to do” list, I consider the task a necessary evil I must regularly perform.  Each visit to the store includes its own unique set of frustrations, such as the pain of trying to reconstruct the shopping list I inadvertently left at home on the counter to the hassle of discovering that several of the items I do manage to recall from the list are currently out of stock.  Or, when my efforts to shop during off-peak hours to avoid crowds are thwarted when I find the very few people who are in the store during my visit standing smack dab in front of the shelves I am trying to access, totally oblivious to my presence.

Most of my grocery store angst results from surface living and the perceived need to complete the current item on my to-do list as quickly as possible to be able move on the next one and then the one after that.  So focused on the task at hand, I am oblivious to what is happening around me.  And, because I am often simply too stressed out about whether or not I am going to finish my shopping in time to make it to my next obligation, I have a tendency to miss out on the opportunities of the moment.

Because of this mindset,  I am ashamed to admit that I have been known to start down a store aisle, and, upon spying an acquaintance, quickly turning tail and steering my shopping cart in the opposite direction.

Inevitably, my relief at having escaped before being spotted is usually short-lived.  By the time I’ve made it to the car with my groceries, I find I am unable to shake the nagging sense of guilt resulting from the thought that it was no mere coincidence I saw that particular individual at that particular point in time.  Our paths were meant to cross.  In hindsight, I realize initiating a conversation with that individual was likely more important than the next item on my to-do list or my next appointment.

How often have we been so caught up in our routines that we miss out on opportunities to make a difference?  For all we know, that acquaintance we avoided for the sake of our schedule might have been facing a challenge or dealing with a crisis and could have benefitted from seeing a familiar face.  In the grand scheme of things, would taking a few extra moments to give that friend a smile or an ear to bend be such a big deal?  It sure would be — especially to that friend.

So the next time you get the urge to turn in the opposite direction, think twice before acting on that impulse.  You never know what is truly going on beneath the surface.  That “chance” encounter could make someone’s day.  Perhaps even your own.

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