R.A.K

A random act of kindness happened to me today. I was at Barnes and Noble this evening picking up a couple books to share with my kids at school who are on my Battle of the Books team. After getting the books (and after a quick but fruitful stop at Old Navy) I headed out to my car. Near B&N is a Culvers....and for anyone else who has tried their fish sandwich, you will understand when I say that this sudden and un-ignorable urge to have one said sandwich came over me. Having a terrible argument in my head over why it was terrible for me to get one (the voice said, "Come on fatty, you do NOT need a greasy fish sandwich") versus why I should certainly get one (the voice said, "You eat so healthy all the time, don't you think you've earned it"), I decided that yes, I was really hungry and I was just going to get one. So I'm waiting in line and in this car in front of me, someone is pointing to the wall right before the pick up window. I'm thinking about how weird that is and that maybe there is some crazy bug or something on the wall or that someone has strapped explosives to the side of the building and I am going to die waiting in line for a fish sandwich I probably shouldn't even be eating, but when I pull forward, I see that there is a sad looking carnation on the ledge with a post-it note saying something like "Have a great day". Judging by the signature and handwriting it looked like it was from a kid. How cute, I thought. Just a little something to make people smile. Then it was my turn to go to the window and as I rolled down my window the guy says, "The car in front of you just paid for your food. And he wanted me to give you this." He handed me a folded piece of paper. I was pretty much speechless, and said thank you and read the note. It said that this wasn't a gimmick and that it was just something he had heard on a local radio station talking about a "drive through difference" and maybe I might want to pay it forward. How awesome was that! I guess I was supposed to get that fish sandwich and damn, was it good.

Now in full disclosure I have to add the following. The local radio station was one of the Christian stations. I decided that I was supposed to not only pay it forward, but also take a little lesson out of the experience. I decided that I should be a little less quick to assume the worst from organized religion, and maybe first think that maybe that person is a very accepting and open-minded Christian who believes all people are equal and worthy of love. And hopefully I won't be proven wrong.....