I have come out of the chipmunk cheek phase!

Wow, I'm doing much better or should I say my face is. The swelling is gone. I am still red and have a few small circular bruises. Where the skin has healed is non-red skin! Haven't seen that in a long time.

You know do we really pay attention to our surroundings or the people we see? I ask this because as I was out and about, swollen face and all, not that many people stared. I was pleasantly surprised.

I got to thinking do I pay attention? My conclusion is that I pay more attention to my surroundings than I think most people do.

• I notice when the older shopper is having difficulty.
• I notice when my regular checker is having a fibromyalga flare up.
• I notice the haggard look on many a mom's face as they shop with 1 or more kids.
• I notice the dirt and rude talk at some stores.
• I notice the beautiful sunshine on most days.
• I saw pain in the eyes of one store clerk.
• I felt the need to chat with an older gentleman one day.

I'm not telling you this to toot my horn - far from it. I have days when I too race around and not pay attention. Notice your surroundings. You may impact one person with kindness by a smile, a nod of your head, let them in front of you in line, or just a quick hello. Isn't that treating others like Jesus?