Like a Good Neighbor

 

I believe that it is important to do good for other people. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture of good, it doesn't have to cost money, or if it does, it doesn't have to be expensive; it just has to be genuine. Easy, meaningful actions can make someone's day. Pay for someone's load of laundry at the laundromat, buy someone a drink at the bar, take someone's cart back for them at Target, add coins to someone's parking meter, and if you're feeling really generous, let the car behind you take the better parking spot or (admittedly, my least favorite method of doing good) let someone with fewer grocery items than you go ahead of you at the grocery store. You don't have to know the person, you don't even have to interact with the person in most cases; the goal is to make someone's day a little bit brighter, show them that although a lot of things suck in this world, there are a lot more things that are good. 

Barry's Tea is my preferred AM hot water based beverage. Tea wakes you up and keeps you going at an even pace, never too buzzy, never too crashy. Coffee makes me both buzzy and crashy, plus it gives me weird coffee breath I can't get rid of even if I brush my teeth 5 times or eat 27 Altoids. However, coffee also is sometimes necessary. It mitigates that uneven night's sleep, or gives that extra bit of motivation at the dawn of a busy day. This morning my tea wasn't quite cutting it. This morning I needed a bigger boat. After dropping off Pua at school I went to my local coffee house to get that extra buzzy (which I plan to temper with some green tea later when I get crashy). 

While waiting in line there was an older man in front of me. He had a sock hanging off of the velcro of his pocket closure on his cargo shorts. He had a little sock tail. I said "excuse me, but I think the dryer got the best of you today, you have a sock hanging from your hiney." He did a few circles like a playful dog chasing his tail, grabbed the sock, shoved it in his pocket and giggled (I love a man who giggles). 

When it was my turn to order, I went to pay and the cashier told me the man had paid for my order. This morning someone did good for me.  It felt nice and it made my day and reminded me there is more good than bad in this world. As I left, I thanked him and wished him a great day. I went home and got to drink half my coffee before my cat knocked the rest on the floor.