A Rude Dog and Making Eye Contact

My dog often forces me to make eye contact with her. I might be staring into the distance lost in my thoughts very far away but I sense her penetrating, soulful glare beside me and like a magnet I must turn towards her. Her brown, watery, soft eyes search mine and we connect. It doesn’t matter that she is not a human and I am not a dog, the connection affects us and we notice each other’s presence. I gaze at the one asking for my attention and I feel warmed-softer perhaps. I often wonder what it is like to be her, looking at me, unable to speak my language but always communicating with those chocolate-coloured eyes.

When I walk down the street in my neighbourhood I stare straight ahead. My eyes scan the sidewalks, I notice the stains, bits of paper and what looks like chewing gum.

I glance at the buildings- the ones that are dilapidated and also the ones that have won awards for their clever design. My eyes skim over the people walking past. I notice them in general but not in particular. I am not looking anyone in the eyes.

I get my coffee and then I sit on the park bench with my dog at my side lost in my thoughts, looking out into space. I could be anywhere.

I notice a particular woman walking towards me slowly. I don’t know what catches my attention but my eyes dart away from her as quickly as they darted towards her. She is about twenty years older than me, her skin is dark and when she moves it’s more like a shuffle. She carries a big knapsack over her shoulder. Her hair is neatly pulled back making her look efficient. She has the semblance of sunshine behind a cloud. My dog looks up and stares at her- it’s rude the way she does that sometimes. I think it invasive and I am internally tsk-tsking. But my dog keeps staring oblivious to my discomfort.

As the woman shuffles closer, my dog tilts her head quizzically and so it becomes even clearer that she is staring rudely. So I am forced to pay attention, to become present and I accidentally make eye contact.

The woman looks at me quickly then looks away. I think she is going to walk past me but she looks again this time at my dog and they make eye contact. Her gaze holds this time. She stares. The sides of her mouth slowly turn upwards and a gentle smile shyly spreads over her face. Her eyes become soft and I can see the sunlight behind the cloud. She then bravely makes eye contact with me.

And she smiles.

And I smile too.

Rev. Dr Karina Kreminski, Mission Catalyst – Formation and Fresh Expressions, Uniting Mission and Education. Karina also blogs, this article is reprinted with permission from This Wild and Precious Life.