The Eyes Have It

JULY 6, 2020

By Roslyn Catracchia, Director of Worship

I took the plunge! I went to a restaurant, to dine in! Just me and a book, seeking some normalcy. I went to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) in Kahala, which I’ve been going to since it opened maybe 30 years ago. I know many of the people who work there by name. 

I went there craving some normalcy, wanting some food that tasted better than what I was making at home (I can’t cook), and also craving some human “contact.” Not even to hug, but  just to see someone real and human in the flesh, instead of in a Zoom meeting. 

I was seated at a table by the window, relieved to be able to take off my mask and feel a little freer. Immediately, there were many things that felt normal to me. The awesome CPK smells, the sounds in the kitchen, the sights outside the window. 

I looked around the room a lot, forgetting my book, just watching many people trying to make it work, trying to make the best of this new “normal.” 

A young man was serving the people in a table 10 feet from me. I thought I recognized him, but all I saw was a part of his face, and he wasn’t facing me. I couldn’t see his eyes, so I wasn’t sure if it was the guy I thought it was. Fifteen feet away was a family of 10, all of course “legally” not wearing masks. And there was so much laughter, actual live laughter! All of their eyes were smiling. 

And eight feet from them another family was just being seated. They looked more stressed out than the other family. But I noticed something really interesting happening among them. They were communicating so clearly with their eyes, without saying almost anything. The husband and wife were trying to get their kids situated. So much stress and worry in her eyes. So much compassion and understanding and thankfulness in his eyes. Both saying so much without saying a word. I don’t know what they were saying to each other, but clearly they knew. At one point, her son sat up on his knees on the booth chair, and he brought his eyes up even with hers, six inches from his mother’s eyes, trying to over-communicate with his eyes with her, even with his mask off. It was unforgettable.

My take-away: the eyes have it. William Shakespeare once said, “The eyes are the window to your soul.” 

1 Peter 3:3-4 speaks of giving higher importance to what’s inside of a person: “Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” 

Well, with this time of sheltering in place, the external adorning has definitely gone to the wayside. I’m trying to remember to brush my hair in the mornings some days. 

A lot of us are struggling, finding our way, and when we’re ready, we’re reaching out to others, to give help, to get help. And in the beautiful moments when we can see each other, I feel we’re communicating more with our eyes more than ever, and to me, simply put, it’s beautiful. 

We’re getting through this. We’re learning. We’re adjusting. We’re growing. 

I’m working more on making more eye contact as I pass people in the aisles at Foodland, at Costco, hoping to pass on smiling eyes as little unspoken messages of hope. 

In these days and weeks ahead, while we are all still wearing masks in public, what creative ways might you find to reach out to others and to pass on a spark of hope to those around you?

Prayer: Dear God, please keep my eyes open to see what You have for me today. Amen.

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