It doesn’t matter whatever comes, stop judging and it won’t bother you.
~ Choje Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche
Sarah writes...
The other day I went shopping for the centre. We went early to avoid the crowds, and so had a few failed attempts before a shop opened. Already a bit tired and grumpy I noticed how I unnecessarily avoided my gaze from others and really tried to keep my distance. It became quite an isolating experience, not as much in a physical way as in an emotional one. More importantly, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated at others who I didn't feel were keeping the recommended 2 metres between us, or who seemed to be "over-shopping" for one person, which is completely not my business!
Later on in the day, while I was going back to the centre, there was a man, a complete stranger, coming towards me. As we passed (6ft apart) he looked at me, straight in the eye, and smiled, a lovely, big, warm smile. Everything changed, and I could see how that whole experience didn't need to be so detached and cold.
So, in a nutshell, two lessons were learned:
1) Check opening hours before waking up crazy early for shopping!
2) Check my attitude and judgements, as these seem to bother me more than others.