As a new customer approaches my line I begin my internal blessing ritual.

May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.

I look for their eyes, their energy, their level of openness. There are a good number of people who are just there to get the business of shopping done. They are closed. Not interested in my witty banter or much more than a “Hello, did you find what you were looking for?”

Then there are the people who are happy to see you. I was surprised at my current position, how many people use our store as their neighborhood grocery store. It hadn’t occurred to me since I moved away from the original Whole Foods Market downtown. These people seem to seek out a connection. “Hi John, how’s your day going.”

And finally there are those who will be surprised (hopefully delighted) by my engagement. My attention. I am listen to them for a connection. How their lives related to my life and our experience holds some similar hopes and dreams. The best example is a parent, with their kids, get them talking about them. That’s part of why we are here on the planet. To make new and gracious humans.

A laugh shared about some trivial detail is a moment of connection. Something they might remember after they leave. Occasionally, we share a deeper connection, a story they tell, a moment of truth. This is an embodiment of love. Human love. Human connection. We are traveling this life together, let’s make the best of it, help each other, be kind when possible.

In these anxious months of 2025, as the world seems to be on fire and the divides between many of us appear unbridgable, it’s important to make connections with your tribe, your people. It’s not that I want to lock out or be angry with the closed, distracted, or hurried people. I don’t. I want what’s best for them as well. Maybe my quiet efficiency is just what they need, not another chatty cashier.

I can be here. I can withhold my own story unless there is an opening. I am listening and seeking a bit of your story. Let me in for a peek. It could help us both feel more safe and connected.

I will listen for you.

[Listen to the Deep Dive explore the concepts of The Happy Cashier.]

The hope I see in others
becomes the hope I have for myself,
my life, and my own journey.
– The Happy Cashier

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ALT: Botisatva’s Bookshelf | The Happy Cashier Podcast

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