Mindful Moment #28 - Dance Like Nobody is Watching

Thriller at the Grocery Store

There I was, shuffling down the coffee aisle of the grocery store, puzzling over where my beloved favorite brand had gone. I was distracted. There was a list that needed checking off. I had to be home in about 30 minutes, but in a rare turn of events for my local grocery chain, “Thriller” started playing on the overhead speakers. This was a place that normally played instrumental versions of hits from the 1960s. Of course, I couldn’t resist a little zombie dance routine while I continued looking for my coffee.

Right as I was doing that side-step part with the head jiggle thing, I realized that I was being watched. It was a guy who I hadn’t realized was also in the aisle with me. He had a bemused look on his face, but just stood there, apparently waiting to grab some coffee I was dancing in front of. I instantly blushed, tripped over the wheel of my shopping cart, and in general embarrassed myself more than if I had just kept dancing.

Not only did he laugh, but he busted out singing right on time, “Because this is thriller!” and did his own dance steps. I laughed. We laughed. I still blushed more. “I was just trying to get the French Roast down there,” he said, finally pointing past my cart. I moved the cart, he grabbed the coffee, and gave me a wink. “See you next week!” he said before wheeling away.

At first, I thought nothing of that parting comment…but then. Wait. See me next week?

Did this guy see me here all the time? Like on the same day of the week? I did always shop on Tuesdays around 4:30. Somehow this made me more embarrassed. Here I was under the impression that I could exist relatively anonymously in this mid-sized city, but no. At least one person had recognized me from previous shopping trips. Maybe. Maybe he has a job where he says “see you next week” as part of his goodbye, and it just popped out by accident. Like when your waitress says, “enjoy your meal!” and you automatically say, “you too!” That’s probably it. He doesn’t recognize me from my grocery store routine.

Gasp! What if he knows me from someplace else?! The gym? Work? I racked my brain for memory of ever seeing him before. I feel like I would have remembered a pretty good looking 30-something guy who was the type to bust out a dance break at the grocery store.

But also…was he flirting with me? Nah. That kind of thing only happens in sitcoms. Right?

Turns out, my coffee brand had been sitting right there in front of my face. They had changed the packaging. I was looking for a red bag with white letters, but the new bag was brown with red letters. Funny how I couldn’t see something that I was actively looking for just because it didn’t look exactly like I expected it to look.

I spent the rest of my shopping trip rushing around to make up for the distraction in the coffee aisle, but I didn’t see the guy again. As a matter of fact, I never saw him on any other trip on any other week or anywhere outside of the grocery store. I even kept my Tuesday at 4:30 schedule out of curiosity, but nope. It’s just a funny story I tell around Halloween, now, but I still wonder about that chance encounter as I blocked the poor guy’s French Roast with my impromptu self-amusement to Thriller.

That brings me to this week’s meditative moment.

I want you to write for this one. Get something to write on and with.

Make a list of things you are looking for. I will leave it to you for how deep you want to get, but this can be about a potential partner, life goals, or just moving into the future with something better aligned with your desires.

Now, make another list of things that may have distracted you from finding the things on your list.
Consider if you have allowed yourself to be open to possible options, or if you are focused only on the exact thing you’ve imagined? Have you passed by the things on your list because you were expecting it to be something easy to recognize? Has embarrassment or a fear of failure kept you from pursuing one of those dreams? Maybe you are full of questions or over-complicating things. Maybe you’ve been distracting yourself because it is easier than actively pursuing those things you want. Whatever has kept you from really moving forward, how can you set those distractions aside to see more clearly?

Lastly, write down at least three things you can do to actively move toward finding what you are looking for. Let this be your first-steps action plan.

And you know what? This story happened when I was quite a bit younger. I want you to know that you should totally be unashamed of dancing in the grocery store. Just do it. And maybe your coffee changed labels if you can’t find it. You’re a sexy beast no matter what. And don’t worry too much about anyone who joins in and leaves with a wink. It was just a two-person flash mob.

As always friends,
Namaste.

-Amy

INSPIRATIONS THIS WEEK

We’re feeling inspired by these incredible and thought provoking pieces:

2,000-Year-Old Roman Road Uncovered in British Field is Like No Other–And of ‘Global Importance’ The owners of the property contacted Wychavon District Council and a team from Historic England is now expected to analyze the excavations.
Major breakthrough in cancer research: Papers reveal ‘dark matter’ that contributes to disease’s growth Latest research show that cancers can evolve without relying on DNA mutations; a level of gene control called epigenetics plays a larger role in the development of the disease.
A Psychologist Breaks Down The Top 12 Reasons Why Couples Break Up Research shows that relationship problems follow predictable patterns. We can learn from these patterns.

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