I wanted to write a follow-up to a few things I tweeted about yesterday. I went to the grocery store this afternoon and one of my favorite things to do when I’m out in public (especially at the groery store) is to smile at everyone. Just a quick smile and maybe a simple “hi.” I do it because I’m genuinely a happy person and I try to smile all the time; but also because I enjoy seeing the responses from people. The grocery store was more crowded than usual today…I’m assuming because of Thanksgiving; and I was amazed at how few people reciprocated a smile.

I know it’s a busy time of year and people have family coming to town and there’s food to make and dishes to do and family dynamics to deal with, there’s traffic and an economy that’s not great and Christmas is coming with presents to buy and more family time and don’t forget about all the food we’ll be eating and weight we’ll be gaining and then all those new year’s resolutions and…I say stop and slow down for a second.

Yes it’s a busy time of year but it should be a time of year when we are thankful for what we have and when we rejoice in spending time with friends and family and helping people who are less fortunate. My point is why go to all the trouble of the grocery store and cooking and shopping and hosting if you aren’t going to enjoy the process of it all. No the grocery store isn’t the most exciting place in the world and probably not the most exciting errand you have today. But when our life becomes about the next thing and we forget to enjoy every moment then I think we’ve failed.

We can’t spend our time forgetting to smile at a stranger in the grocery store because we’re too self-involved and just trying to get to tomorrow.

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to SMILE BACK!