Mischievous Angels

Image / Ulkas


The express line at my local grocery was long and tense this morning. The man holding space at the front of the line, noticeably inebriated at 10 am, had placed perhaps 40 items on the belt and was regaling the checker with a wildly wandering story. There were no other checkers, no alternate lines to wait in.

The man in front of me seemed angry and distracted, and scowling around he looked at me without seeing me at all. Looked without noticing the weight of the basket in my arms, or the women behind me with armloads of items, all waiting for him to make a little space to rest our loads.

The man three people behind me was audibly sighing, exasperated at the slow-moving checker - who was in no rush to end her exchange with the drunken man in a sequined hat. In all, there were nine people about me in various stages of irritation and anger.

Just as I felt the man behind me was about to really lose his cool, she arrived. With a voice all tinkle-bells, giggles and mischief, a very small child was playing a game with her cart-pushing mama:

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

she said, barely containing her laughter to get the words out. Without seeing her, I knew she had hands in the air, moving in mock-threat for some tender place that would make her mother giggle.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

Like a magic key, her sweet little game tuned all the hearts in that room in to their own soft and tender places. Eyebrows raised, heads turned, huge smiles and happy giggles erupted all down the line.

The man in front of me looked into my eyes with a smile that let me see the child still inside him, awakened in an instant. And he really saw me, smiling in delight with my arms full, the rest of the group behind me still needing room to rest their loads.

And then, smiling at everyone, seeing everyone, he stepped forward to make space. And everyone moved forward and into the rest of the day a little softer, a little lighter.  Our little mischievous angel had blessed us with a valuable reminder:

None of us is ever truly far away from joy, after all.

It is right there, alongside and underneath everything else happening, in any moment.

Within each of us individually, within this group of strangers as a whole. Within the whole. It is here.

May we remember, may we help others around us remember. And when we cannot, for whatever reason, may we be found by mischievous angels and tickled back to the truth.


Dana Wyss Healing Arts
Breathe deeply, practice often, be well.
http://www.danawyss.com/