Lately I have been distracted. Well, let me say this … I allow myself to be distracted. Yesterday I was walking back to my office, from getting a cup of coffee, and I was doing what 99.9% of all people do in this world … I was emailing on my phone – while I was walking. I was completely looking down and ignoring the world around me. Great, right?
As you might expect, I bumped right into someone. I began apologizing before I even looked up. When I did look up, he said, “Hi Jessica.” I was shocked – it was someone from my teen years.
I wasn’t in a hurry and neither was he so we moved over toward the wall to chat a bit. We joked about how geeky we were in school, I reminded him that I was dead last in every race and that I became a cheerleader to avoid sports. He said that he remembered me as the girl who was always happy and talked with her hands (nice, right!).
The point I want to make here is not how weird I was as a kid (I was weird) but to remind us all to pay attention. I would have missed this guy because I was looking at my phone, not up at the world around me. Not that anything big came of the meeting – but it’s one of life’s niceties … seeing and talking to people.
I notice that in the grocery store now so many people pull their phone out instead of talking to the check out person. At one of my favorite stores, there’s a guy who bags the groceries and is always singing while he’s doing it … out loud! I can’t tell you how many people ignore him – don’t even acknowledge him. I love it and remind him of it every time I see him (he really does have a great voice!)
Maybe I am rambling today. But I’ve got to tell you that in the last few days, I’ve had so many nice little experiences because I decided put my phone away, make more eye-contact with people and just plain pay attention to my surroundings.
So today, just for one day, put down your phone and talk to the people around you or just make eye-contact and smile! You can’t imagine how many cool things will happen.
Have a great day!
theyearof50 
I totally agree, Jessica, and thank you for pointing this out! By the way, you have a wonderful way of writing.
Your comments remind me of a story I just heard this morning. A true story about a musician who played for about 30 minutes at Grand Central Station in New York. About 1000 people passed him by during that brief period while he played the violin. He left his case open and about 16 people gave him some money. He earned 32$. Mothers with children rushed through the station, dragging their kids as they hurried–though the children wanted to stop and listen. Others just hurried.
It was Joshua Bell. He had just played one of the most intricate violin pieces ever written, and the day before, had played to a sold out audience at Carnegie Hall. The average price for a ticket to his concert was $64.
When I heard this story, tears came to my eyes! How often we take beauty for granted, take people for granted. It’s sad. Which is why I want to rekindle friendships from the past.
Thank you for being you. You’re a wonderful you!
Yes, I heard that too. Amazing! Happy belated birthday!!