Kindness is not dead in my neck of the woods, and it sure made my day a happy one.
My office is closed on Fridays. We work four ten-hour shifts a week, which we all love. Our crews, however, are currently working five to six ten-hour days per week. This means they complete more jobs than usual.
I handle inventory for my agency, among many other duties. I order material that’s difficult to find or cheaper outside our area. The crews purchase the bulk of our items. I enter all material the crews purchase into our inventory system and then charge it to the specific job.
Due to the amazing pace my crews have been maintaining, I needed to work some overtime today to catch up with them. Since it’s my day off, and I detest crowds, I stopped by the grocery store on my way to work. After scavenger hunting for my everyday items through a store that’s in the middle of a complete reset, I was hungry and bordering cranky because I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.
I pulled into the Braum’s parking lot and arrived at the drive-thru at the same time as a man driving a 1970’s model pickup, which was loaded with firewood. When I say loaded, I mean the wood was mounded over the bed, higher than the cab and looking rather precarious. I assumed this guy was in a hurry to get wherever he was going with such a load, so I let him go ahead of me.
I ordered my food and was given my total. I’m careful with my money, so my total was only $2.80. They were quick in serving the nice man in the pickup, and I was pulling up to the window in a short amount of time.
I waited, but my normal friendly worker didn’t come to the window to collect my payment. I waited some more. When he opened the window to hand me my food, I tried to pay him. He told me the bill had already been settled. I explained I hadn’t paid yet and again tried to give him my money.
He said, “No, you don’t understand. The truck in front of you paid for your meal.”
That small act of kindness made my day. The gentleman in the truck was long gone by then, so I couldn’t even wave at him. I hope he knows how much I appreciate him buying my omelet bagel sandwich.
I drove to work feeling good about life and my fellow humans. I was expecting to be by myself, but four other coworkers popped in for this or that. One guy had to make a phone call. One had to send an email. Two needed tools for their jobs.
They looked hungry, so I busted out the chocolate chip cookies I’d bought for my husband’s afternoon snack and shared them with my friends. I don’t think anyone can frown while eating a cookie. Sharing a smile with them further increased my good mood, and I could tell they were all a little happier, too.
I worked for four hours and made good headway with my projects before heading to another store to pick up the items I couldn’t find at the first place. Still happy while driving home, I discovered a gas station where I saved twenty-three cents per gallon over the station closest to work, which was the icing on the cupcake of my unusually good day.
It’s amazing what one small act of kindness can do for your outlook. I hope I brightened someone’s day half as much as a kind soul in an old truck brought cheer into mine.
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