As I checked out at the grocery store the other day I was my normal silent self. The clerk was polite and cheerful, as most of them are. Though with most you can tell they’ve been trained to play the polite pre-recorded message fed to them by the employee training course. “Would you like paper or plastic?” or “Have a nice day”. And I usually respond with the same “fill in the blank” response. But this time was different.

She looked right into my eyes. I could tell it wasn’t anything personal, such as attraction or judgment. It was just her open soul looking as far as I would let her into mine. Just her soul looking into mine?! Surprise held me. Since errands aren’t very threatening I wasn’t particularly guarded. So she looked right into me. Of course this happened in a split second. There were other customers waiting. But it woke me up. I had never met this person before, and I had no idea why she peered into me. I wondered if she did this to everyone and if she maintained that intensity all day. It didn’t matter. The glance was only between us. Two single souls flashing a connection. As I finished paying, I smiled, looked into her eyes and wished her a good day, and I really meant it. She responded alike. The rest of my day felt charmed.

I realized that everyone around me has a vulnerable peephole through which to say, “I acknowledge your humanness and here is mine”. Try it. It’s kind of scary, since you are also vulnerable. But when it happens a link is made. And, who knows, you might charm someone’s day.