.. the folks around here really could care less about me. I would go for a run, visit the pool or meander through the grocery store with rarely a hello or even one of those half smiles. I came dangerously close to concluding that Americans, in general, were an unfriendly bunch.  I was astounded by people’s ability to appear unaware that they were sharing space with me. Then one morning, I decided to share a smile and good morning with all passerby’s (or those I passed by). I was prepared to be ignored by everyone, who I had decided was trapped in their own world. Turned out, folks were just waiting for me to notice them first. I got smiles, startled good mornings and what can only be coined as an awakening of sorts.

When I say an awakening of sorts, I am referring to the hint of sparkle you see in the back of someone’s eyes when you take the time to notice them. People weren’t not noticing me they were just waiting for me to take the first step. The woman with the grumpy face might not be grumpy after all.  In the moment that I notice her she is able to shift, in her heart to a place of presence where maybe just maybe she will have a smile to share with the next person waiting to be seen.

It can be easier to stay in our place of comfort or live the stories constructed in our own minds. However, it is with in the simple shifts where we have a chance to see the world (and our stories) just a bit differently. And who knows what the impact of one of those little smiles or good mornings can make in the world of someone else. What’s one tiny thing you are willing to try out that might, just might shift your world (and undoubtedly the world you live in)?