There are days when I feel too much. When the hurt of the world lives in the pit of my stomach and it becomes hard to breathe. The days that I can't process all the ugliness I see in the media, the bickering in politics, or the masses who turn on one another over wearing a mask. I know we are better than this.
Then one day, a tiny act of kindness by a complete stranger renews my sense of hope for the world. And I know, we will be okay.
My parents are 86 and 88 and still live in the house they built on five acres outside of our small town. When COVID19 hit their independence became a health concern as it was not safe for them to go grocery shopping etc.
It was important to my parents to maintain some independence so online ordering was a great way to obtain that. Mom could go online and get the groceries she needed, pay for them, and all I had to do was pickup and deliver them. For the past 13 weeks that’s what I have been doing.
As I headed over to grab the groceries yesterday I was thinking how nice it was that I could help them out. My daughter and son-in-law were doing the same for me. They would pick up items from Costco or Winco that I couldn’t get online. As a gesture of appreciation, I decided to grab them Starbucks on my way home.
As I pulled into the Starbucks drive thru, another car pulled in on my left to get in line. Noticing that they were blocking the parking lot a bit, I decided to back-up and let them cut in line. They waved a thank-you and I did the same.
When I got to the window to pay for my order I was told the car ahead had paid for mine. In that moment, my eyes watered, my spirit lifted. I had a renewed sense of hope for the world. It seems like a small gesture, but I had not been feeling particularly hopeful lately. I thought to myself, “Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus”.
So THANK YOU to the car ahead of me at the Camas/Washougal Starbucks. You not only paid for my coffee, you renewed my faith in humanity!
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