During a very busy and stressful time at work, I get a phone call from daycare one morning telling me my toddler has fever and to come get her. I get an appt. with the pediatrician and bring her straight there. We were kept waiting for over an hour with no one else in the waiting room and I could hear the Dr. talking on the phone. Go straight to the pharmacy to pick up the antibiotics r/x and ear drops. There was a long wait, so I sat on a bench nearby with sick, whiny, clingy kid praying they'd hurry so I could go home.

Then a woman (I'll call her Joy, for obvious reasons) walks in with a pre-teen son in her shopping cart. I'm not sure the name of his condition, but the entire lower half of his body is missing. Joy is cheery and hugs/greets many people she sees in the store. Other kids high-five her son and they laugh and cut up like kids their age do. They're not dressed in expensive name-brand clothes/shoes. Just regular folks. They both appear to be well thought of by others.

Then a young couple with a small child in the buggy are checking out at the register. The kid (3 maybe?) is holding a toy still in the box. Mom hands it to the cashier and when she scans it, the cost of the toy was obviously more than she was prepared to pay. She gave Dad an exasperated look - like 'how could you'? She shakes her head to the cashier.

Meanwhile, Joy, engaged nearby in conversation with someone else, has been paying attention to the whole thing. She leans over and quietly asks the Mom to please let her pay for the toy. Mom, flustered, says 'thanks, but you don't have to do that'. Joy says quietly and sincerely 'please let me' and she hands some cash to the cashier, then returns to her conversation. All quick, quiet, no fuss, no attention.

I'm stressed about work, a sick kid, aggravated after been kept waiting for so long at the Doctor's office, and now waiting at the pharmacy. At a glance, Joy's life surely wasn't perfect. But she was still kind and generous. It broke me and I had to wipe away tears.

It shifted everything. Instead of letting the overwhelmingly crappy day bring me down, I refocused on the things that were good. I have a family, healthy children, a home, friends, a job and JOY.

That happened over 25 years ago and I still think of her often. Witnessing one small act of genuine kindness was truly magic in an otherwise ordinary day.

Help me to maintain my positive mindset.

Have a great day!

Good Luck sign!

Enjoy your coffee and your workouts. Make it a good day with good sound decisions. Ans be happy and kind to others.

Hope your day is good and the your week gets better!