I was at the local bookstore in line at the cafe. An elderly couple stood ahead of me in line. Between the two of them, they ordered two cups of coffee.

One Cup or Two

Before the barista could pour a cup, the wife leaned over and whispered in her husband’s ear. He put his hand over hers and in the subtlest of gestures squeezed it tight.

“We’ll make that one cup of coffee and a muffin.”

The next thing I knew, the man placed coins on the counter one by one. Quarters, dimes, nickels, but more pennies than the others combined. He pulled them out of a small leather purse that was worn and scratched. I could not help but step forward.

“I would like to get this for you.” To the barista, I added, “And can we please get a second coffee and another muffin too?”

The fact that the couple went slack-jawed made me ashamed for the human race. Has no one ever been kind to them before?

The Kindness of Strangers

I settled down with my own chai latte at a small table by the window to write. The man and woman sat a few tables over. I could not help but notice from the corner of my eye that they ate both muffins and drank both cups of coffee. It warmed my heart.

When I got up to leave, the pair came up to me to shake my hand, “You are a good woman. I hope good things come back to you. Thank you so much.”

People do not see enough kindness in this cold hard world.

The barista seemed put out that the order kept changing. When the old man starting counting pennies at the counter, the man behind me in line let out a huff so loud I thought he was the Big Bad Wolf. Obviously, he didn’t have “the time to deal with this”. I know because he mumbled that under his breath too.

People are so self-absorbed sometimes that it is refreshing to be reminded of the goodness in people. Blanche DuBois (A Streetcar Named Desire) is not the only one who relies on the kindness of strangers.

Make Your Own Kindness

I am not writing this to toot my own horn. I am writing this as a reminder that the little things can make a big difference in someone’s life. It can turn their world around, if not forever, then for a day, an hour, a moment.

One day when my daughter and I were walking through a local park, we found a painted rock on a wrought-iron bench. It said “spread kindness”. Further down the path, we found one that read “be kind” and then another that told us to “celebrate your uniqueness”. We stopped at each one of them and smiled with joy at each discovery. It became an Easter egg hunt of sorts where we looked forward to glimpses of the kindness of strangers. It ended with a dazzling blue “dream big”.

Someone had taken the time to inspire others. They took the time to paint those rocks, to share messages, and to position them where people were likely to find them. How many people were touched by the kindness of strangers that day?

To those folks who made the effort that day, know that you brightened the day of everyone who walked past. The kindness of strangers is not only something to appreciate, it is something we can all aspire to, in big ways and small. Whether you paint a rock or buy someone a cup of coffee, it all counts.