Halo

There are just some days when you should not leave your home, or for that matter, get out of bed. This was one of those days. First of all, my little darling of a car was damaged by some individual who did not have the decency to inform me of the said damage.

The hit and run occurred in a parking lot while I was shopping. What better way to soothe one’s nerves and to release frustration, then, say, a nice meal at a favorite cafe. However, upon my arrival, I quickly discovered a tightly locked door, no signage, and blank window space. The cafe had been stripped of any resemblance of its former occupancy. Closed for good, like a vacant State Fairground.

So, here we had a chain of events conspiring to overthrow my day. My car was hit, my favorite cafe now closed, and, to seal the deal, I accidently clogged a public toilet. Don’t ask. Suffice it is safe to say, I was now in a bona fide shitty mood. Yes, I know that’s an unsavory word, so if it will make you feel any better, you can spell each individual letter without actually saying the word: S H I T T Y. Truth be told, that’s how I first heard my mother use a curse word.

With my list of errands in hand, I continued on with my day. Every so often, I’d catch myself mumbling and grumbling under my breath, replaying the car scenario. This, after all, was my husband’s beloved car. I was not looking forward to telling him about the accident.

Before I headed home, I had one last stop to make. Unbeknownst to me, the pendulum of probabilities was about to swing upwards towards the heavens. What happened next, I could never have scripted. Divine Grace appeared in the form of a young salesclerk, an emissary of good, who looked more like a peripatetic visitor than an employed Earthling.

The items placed in my shopping cart were of no great significance; however, he handled each one with such care and reverence, as though they were sacred relics from antiquity. I continued to look at this young man with a transfixed gaze, mesmerized by his innocence. His attention towards me was confined to the cash register and to the task at hand.

The shirt he wore was slightly tattered and oversized for his slender frame. Too young to bear the weight of the world, his gentle, deliberate manner belied his youth. Taking note of his calm energy, I soon began to relax, and subsequently let down my guard. It was in that precise moment that I became enveloped by an all-encompassing benevolent ray of eternal goodness, emanating from this sales clerk. And before I could say, “What in the world is going on here?” I felt my heart becoming a golden liquid pool of compassion, fully disarming me of my former grievances. Right here, right now, I was being cleansed and purified in a big-box name brand store!

Had my feet not been firmly planted on the ground, I am quite certain I could have floated away like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon, filled with an unimaginable joyful lightness of being. As someone who is ever conscious of time, I had lost all track of time. Was I the only one experiencing this other-worldly sensation?

The woman behind me began placing her cans of tuna on the counter, silently nudging me forward. It was time to pay for my earthly goods. I completed my transaction and thanked the young sales clerk for far more than he will ever know. I made certain to put in a good word for him with his manager.

As I left the store, I knew that nothing outwardly had changed. I still had a car dent to deal with, and a grumbling stomach to appease. Yet, none of that seemed to matter at the moment. I was too engrossed by what had just happened, and feeling as light and carefree as humanly possible. I was walking inside the benevolent ray of eternal goodness. Seldom do I feel this way.

Often in this world; fear, anger, and self-consciousness eclipse the ever-present light within. Whilst compassion and goodness are always there, patiently waiting in the wings to take center stage, whispering our lines, if we will only listen. Emissaries of light, such as this young man, can appear anytime and anywhere. Even in the fifteen items or less lane. If you are fortunate enough to be graced by their presence, consider it a divine blessing.