When the older lady started talking to me beside the meat fridge in Sobeys last Tuesday, it did not strike me as odd. This is Halifax, where people talk to strangers all the time. The grocery store is a prime location to get cornered by a friendly senior as you make your way through the aisles. The high price of groceries is a hot topic of conversation, and I appreciate being told about a good sale. The woman chatted to me happily as I focused on selecting just the right package of ground beef out of the aisle fridge, not too big, not too small.
Still digging in the bin, I nodded and smiled at the woman, glancing up now and then as she talked to me. Eventually, it struck me that there was something different about her. What was it, I wondered to myself. Straightening up, it was immediately obvious what had caught my attention. The woman had no nose.
It wasn’t crooked or misshapen, it simply wasn’t there. She had a hole in the middle of her face where the nose should have been. It was jarring and I hid my surprise as best I could. What had happened to the poor woman, I wondered. Whatever it was, this lady had clearly been through big challenges in her life. Yet, here she was, shopping and making friends in the grocery store. She wasn’t wearing a mask. She wasn’t hiding her facial deformity as I feel that I, or many of us, would if we were in her shoes. She was outgoing and friendly as she made her way through the store. I was in awe of her.
How much time do we waste lamenting over crooked teeth or a misshapen nose, feeling less of ourselves because of our appearance. It’s hard to overcome social pressures telling us how we should look and what we need to change. We are our own worst critic most of the time. And how often do we judge others on first appearance instead of on their character and intelligence. My conversation last Tuesday was a good reminder to feel grateful for all the good things in my life, including random conversations with strangers in Sobeys as I go about my day.
