Today, as I rummaged through Aldi's produce section for a lush bundle of asparagus, my eyes happened to glance over and meet with those of a small girl, who could've been older than 3.
 
Her mother was so preoccupied doing her own combing of the greenage for her a prized, palatable plant that she'd no knowledge of our brief and, yet, wholesome engagement.  The youngin' gave me the open-mouthed, emotionally uncommitted, and semi-confused stare toddlers typically feed adults they've never met.

I glanced back at the available grocery items, but curiosity redirected my sight back to her as I placed the chunky olive-green stalks in my carry basket.  
 
I found her examination of me quite intriguing.  She started by leering unapologetically into each of my sockets--the way we all did before we were taught doing so is socially unacceptable.  Then, nonjudgmentally and with the innocence of a honey bee examining a flower, her blue irises inched their way to my beard and, then, my tattoos. 

And, at that moment, I was teleported to her shoes.  What was she seeing for the first time in this 5'11, unshaven, Egyptian tattoo having black man, towering over her like a Boeing Triple 7 over a paper plane?  She abruptly, and, at the same time, gently nudged me out of my impromptu state of empathization...when she simply...just...waved. 

It was a very limp and timid wave--one she humbly mustered with no facial emotion and with a half-opened palm.  I think it was behavior she mostly likely learned from the repetitious actions her guardians displayed socially, not because she was disciplined by them to do so.  Although, none of that really mattered.

Via some innate inspirational source, I felt obligated to both wave back and smile, even if it's only for a miniscule instance amongst the grand duration of cosmic space.  For, at that moment, 2 human beings, who knew nothing about one another and who were on completely different cognitive planes, connected on a fundamental level.

Random Thought: How many smiles from random strangers have we come across throughout our lives that have shaped who we are for the better?  Forget the ones who've shun their face upon you in conscious memory.  Those are the easy ones to remember.

What of those smiles donated to you by random souls before you even knew your own name, from the countless who may no longer even exist on this mortal plane? 

My warmly lit, scruffy grin rewarded her curiosity, just like the thousands, in both my infancy and middle age, I've encountered and have done the same.   

No matter how desperately we fight to deny and resent this fact--from childhood to elderhood, we're fundamentally intertwined and intricately dependent upon one another.  For, I may have helped to kindle her spirit of connectivity, but she, just the little girl at market, did so far more for me than I for her.

From the Soul,

📕“” Epiphany #5: A Child Who Waved”” is a piece from my upcoming published anthology, “Return from the Pale Trail: Gifts to Humanity We’ve Been Taught to Forget.” I’m ecstatic to share this wonderful piece of literature with the family. I hope you all enjoy. Until then, feel free to check out my other published materials.