Page 18 - IAV Digital Magazine #511

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
by Dr Aletta
When we lived in Manhattan, my husband and I used to love shopping on Christmas Eve. The streets were bright with Christmas decorations, the store windows gorgeous tableaux. Everyone was in a good mood, smiling and shouting Merry Christmas at each other. It was like being at a huge party.
The same happy feeling came back to me as I was wheeling down the aisles at Wegman’s today. I expected to be stressed out getting last minute food shopping done. Instead I observed hugging and kissing from long, lost friends in Dairy, a tall young man reaching for something on the top shelf for a wheel-chair bound older woman in Canned Goods, small children politely requesting a sugar cookie from the smiling baker in a Santa hat in Baked Goods. What was this, a Frank Capra movie?
There was a spring in my step as I headed for Bulk Foods when a complete stranger, pushing her cart in the opposite direction, lightly touched my arm and said, “Your hair looks lovely.” “Thank you!” I said, as she sailed past me toward Paper Products never to be seen again. That little compliment made my day and she’ll never know.
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~Leo Buscaglia
Best Wishes for the Holiday Season and Always!