We’re always in a hurry today, and random acts of kindness can mean so much when we are running around trying to accomplish the basics in life. Friday was one of those days. I had experienced a challenging week… on the phone with people like cable and a vendor for my business (and you know how those calls go) and on Friday I had to stop at the post office and drop off some orders.
So, I’d been feeling rushed a little annoyed at the things that had gone on that week but was grateful to be mailing out orders and have a nice sunny day to remind me of what’s important. I drove through Starbucks for a quick chai frapuccino to serve as my breakfast, caught up in thinking about all I had to still get done that day.
And then, the car ahead of me paid for my drink! And suddenly I stopped that “I have to do this, I have to do that” mentally and stopped and just appreciated how nice that was. I’ve done this in the past myself for someone and I can tell you that it feels just as good when you’re on the giving end of a random act of kindness like this.
It seems so silly and small, right? But that’s the point. It’s small and yet the implications are large. Random acts of kindness are meant to just let someone know they are special, that someone cares enough to be nice. That’s it. And that’s huge. It’s much more than “getting a free drink” or having someone pay for your meal. It has the power to stop negativity in its tracks.
I encourage you to do one of these random acts of kindness. Try it once a month at first. See how you feel. You might find that you’ll want to do it much more often, or that you’re actually looking for opportunities to give a little back to someone you don’t know.
And to that person at Starbucks who paid for my drink, God bless you!
