It's all in a smile!

Something struck me today! Not surprising you may think as we are learning (or could learn if we choose too!) and experiencing new situations and circumstances everyday. As they say, "everyday is a school day!"

Today, some important dots were joined together for me by a simple visit to the supermarket and the short drive home. A weekly occurrence but today was different.

Having gathered all the necessary groceries in the trolley I went and diligently queued for my time at the check-out and unloaded the goods onto the conveyor belt. I had been served by this particular cashier before and I knew that they were deaf and that human interaction was always, without exception, a happy experience and we always got through the paying of goods with a smile, hand signals and pointing. It was always a joyous experience.

To help with this communication and interaction between two humans I decided to take my mask off. The feeling was invigorating but also worrying! What would all those other shoppers think of me, would they lambast me and challenge me because I was 'letting the side down' and putting their lives at risk? I felt very 'naughty! Like a schoolboy who had managed to discreetly sneak a penny chew into their pocket from the school tuck shop without anyone noticing!

But they I looked to my left. Only some 30 feet away the supermarkets café was in full lunchtime mode, feeding hungry shoppers with tasty delights. Obviously none of them were wearing masks. Why would or should they, they were talking to each other, interacting, enjoying each others company and eating.

I then got to the end of the conveyor belt and started to load the bags and saw a a typed message sellotaped onto the packing area surface. It asked customers to remove their masks in order to help with communication as the cashier was able to lip read. How amazing, how logical, how sensible, how enlightened and how wonderful. Human interaction and what a wonderful smile to be greeted with.

I left the store ￡50 lighter but I would have paid that again to be able to leave a store in a totally different frame of mind, imbued by something called a human interaction.

Driving home I passed a local primary school and the children were happily playing on the school's field, enjoying the sunshine and probably looking forward to the imminent summer holidays. Innocence and not a mask to be seen.

Then it struck me. As adults and supposedly blessed with intelligence, life experiences and maturity are we not supposed to be setting an example for the generations to come and actually making the world a better place for them to develop and thrive in? Is not each of our legacies to leave this world in a better state of affairs than when we arrived?

Unfortunately, I see quite the opposite at the moment, which deeply saddens me and I fear for my children's futures and the mess that "us adults" are leaving it in.

Thank goodness for that brief moment of humanity in the supermarket and a moment of human interaction. It's amazing what one smile can do.