It was a beautiful, rare, high 60s day in Ohio’s February. The kind of day that makes you want to take a blanket with a good book and play hooky from life. It’s hard not to have happiness on a rare day like this. Everyone had shaken off the winter blues for a moment and even the air feels different.
And something I don’t know, kind of insignificant happened to me this particular, beautiful morning. Sometimes. I do this thing, I leave my coffee I’ve had great intentions of drinking, lonely, sitting in my microwave. This morning was one of those mornings. So, begrudgingly, I go thru the drive thru to get my coffee. I was a little irritated with myself and even more so with the line. As I approach the drivethru the employee has a big smile on her face and says, “your order has been paid for.” I was stunned.
This had never happened to me before. And I have to admit I felt this overwhelming “Joy Moment”. I know some may say “this is seriously not a big deal”. But I take a moment to disagree. A perfect stranger feels this compassion to bring joy to my life and he didn’t know one thing about me. He didn’t know if I was smart, or pretty, or rich or poor, or even worthy of him buying this coffee for me? And to me this is pure kindness. When we can show kindness to someone when they have receive nothing in return, it is much more than that cup of coffee. Kindness she shows up as this beautiful butterfly. She slowly unravels her wings and touches people’s hearts. Then joy is spread as she makes her way to continue to travel and touch all those she meets. She becomes contagious.
This man I will never meet gave me this perfect gift because it has went way beyond that particular moment of a free coffee. It gives me hope that In my sometimes inward, selfish focus that being kind is not always this huge endeavor. We can all spread kindness in small, simple acts. I want to be contagious in my kindness.
A woman who chose joy 