Kindness In Line

I was standing in line at the grocery store poking through the magazines that surrounded me and wishing the line would hurry up. Time was passing by more and more and I realized none of us had moved ahead an inch. "Great," I thought, "someone's probably making a stink to the cashier about the price of grapes," or some ridiculous thing. I checked my phone, texted a few people, checked the time again and I was still standing in the same place. I realized I hadn't been paying attention to anyone or anything around me, so I looked up to the cashier. Beyond the person who was ahead of me was an elderly woman standing at the checkout fishing through her purse frantically.  The woman ahead of me in line got involved in the situation and I listened in to try to figure out what was going on. The elderly woman's eyes were welled up with tears, and she was explaining that she only brought cash with her and didn't have enough money to pay for her groceries. She was searching her purse for all the coins she could find, but it was not enough. She was afraid that the bus that drove her to the store from the elderly housing unit was going to depart without her. The woman in front of me stepped up and kindly tried to comfort the elderly woman. She quickly paid the remaining tab of the groceries without blinking an eye. The elderly woman was  grateful and thanked her, but at the same time I could tell she was a little embarrassed. The kind stranger did nothing but smile and reassure her that she was happy to pay the few dollars.

I watched in awe of the random act of kindness and had to swallow the lump growing in my throat to avoid crying in public. The elderly woman's dilemma was far more important than me trying to rush out of the grocery store. The stranger's kindness contrasted starkly with the busy, impatient setting that surrounded us. I pinched myself for falling into the trap of the everyday rush and forgetting to be kind, patient and helpful.  I'll never forget this random act of kindness and how that sweet stranger did something that changed the world, though not many people will ever know it. -Cass {20 years old, NH}