Be Kind

This is the week for life's simple lessons for me, I guess.

This morning I stopped by Whole Foods for a coffee  (by the way - it's way cheaper than Starbucks, they don't charge for soy and the small has 2 shots of espresso!).  They were surprisingly busy with just one guy behind the counter.  The man in front of me got out of line and went over to the other side to check out the pastry counter.

Things were moving pretty slowly and I was already cutting it pretty close to get to my appointment on time. {A girl needs coffee in the morning}  Normally, under these circumstances, I would be starting to get pretty annoyed.  For whatever reason, some sort of miraculous patience came over me.  I have no idea how or why.

The man who had previously left the line came back and stood behind me.  I told him to go in front of me.  It was his rightful place any way, I thought.  I'm not going to fault the guy for being tempted by the pastry counter.  I'm tempted by the pastry counter all the time, and it usually wins!

When it came time for me to order, the man ended up pulling his wallet back out and saying "I'll pay for hers".  I was shocked.  Of course I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted and said "you were really nice and you didn't have to be."

I was truly appalled.  And it reminded me how much our behaviors and attitudes can affect other people. And it reminded me to slow down.  Had I been standing in line obviously annoyed, I wouldn't have gotten my coffee any faster.

I saw this on pinterest a while ago and it didn't really resonate with me when I first read it.

I mean, not everyone's having a bad day or fighting a battle all the time.  But I kind of get it a bit more now.  It's not that we should be kind because people might be having a difficult time.  It's more like we have no idea what's going on in other people's lives, whether it's good or bad.  And we should be kind because putting kindness out in the world makes life just a bit for all of us.  Maybe a bit corny, but maybe a bit true too.

I found this one today too and kinda like it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

LMF