Kindness is not dead

This afternoon I had to make an unavoidable trip to Walmart.

If you've been reading this blog for the last year you know that I like to keep a positive attitude as much as possible. Life is too short to get upset about little things.

But even the most optimistic person has a little lapse now and then. Walmart on a Saturday afternoon is more than enough to send me into crabby and disgruntled mode. However, I was down to the last roll of toilet paper so I had to suck it up an go.

I managed to survive the madness with just a few run-ins with superbly rude and cranky people. I got in the first short-ish line I saw and piled my items onto the conveyor belt behind all the stuff that belonged to the woman in front of me. Poor her, she had a lot of stuff and had clearly spent a lot more time than desirable in Walmart on a Saturday afternoon. (Assuming, of course, that any amount of time spent inside Walmart on a Saturday afternoon is desirable.) & poor me for having to wait for her to check out first.

The cashier rang up her purchases and she swiped her credit card. He was really very swift and managed to ring her up and finish her transaction in record time. She took her receipt and took her time putting it in her wallet.

When she was done she just stood there.

I looked at her, and then at the cashier. Neither of us knew quite what to do. I was more than ready to pay for my stuff and get out & he had just turned his register light off. Time for a break! We both wanted her to get on with her business.

After a few seconds she looked at him, pointed to me and said, "I want to buy hers too."

What?

Did I just hear her right?

The cashier wasn't sure either so he asked and she confirmed that he had. "Ring hers up I want to get hers too."

I was shocked. I thanked her many times over & had to hold myself back from giving her a hug.

There was no one behind me so I couldn't pay it forward immediately & I'm still waiting for my opportunity to do so, which I fully intend to do.

But wow! Just, wow!

I think God was sending me a message about my crappy attitude. Lesson learned.