Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I frequent a certain cafe every now and then when I wish to work away from home, where I face many of my self-created distractions.

As I stood in line at the cafe, I looked at the plethora of pastries that enticed me, and was very engaged in the thought of which pasty I was going to choose with my cup of tea. Half-present, I realized the line wasn't moving as 'smoothly' as I had wished it would. I was in no particular rush, but noticed this thought surfaced. When I became aware of this, it prompted me to look at the two individuals before me.

One was an elderly woman perhaps in her 70's. She appeared fumbling with her change purse and inquired in great detail about the prices. It was then evident that she ordered an ice tea as well as a pastry, but did not have enough money for both. She decided on the pastry and left the ice tea behind. Seeing this made my heart sink. I watched her walk away and sit down at a table near by.

At that time I found myself deeply involved in what I was present to. I found myself perplexed as I had originally thought the woman behind the elderly woman was a friend of hers. I kept observing.

The woman behind the elderly lady, then placed her order. And my eyes did not follow her to where she sat.

I smiled at the person at the register and the proceed to buy my cup of tea, along with pastry. But then I eyes gazed over the person's shoulder to where the iced tea was standing. So, I asked if it could be added to my order. My request was met with slight confusion, but I did not feel inspired to share at the time what my next move would be.

As I walked over to the table of where the elderly woman had sat down at, I noticed she was no longer there, but the pasty was still uneaten on her plate. I took a quick look around and saw her coming back. I very quickly placed the iced-tea on the table.

I laid my stuff on the table then made my way to the rest room. Upon my return, to my surprise I noticed BOTH women were sitting together, with the elderly woman now smilingly sipping on her iced tea. I felt a flood of thoughts run through my mind.

At first I felt happy that my little act of kindness was received with joy. Our eyes met for a brief instant and I shared a smile. For a moment she wasn't just another person in the cafe, but someone I felt should have access to all that I access to, even if it was just a glass of iced-tea. For a moment she was my grandmother.

The other thought that surfaced my mind, was that of judgment. Sad but true, admittedly, I did judge the woman she was with. I wondered why she did not offer to purchase the iced tea for her friend. I wondered how she could let her friend fumble for so long in line while searching for the right amount of change.

This lasted all of a few minutes because I looked deep within myself to find empathy for the friend of that elderly woman. In all my pondering, I realized that I had no place to judge. I very well did not have all the details, nor did I see the big picture. Most of all, I found a space of gratitude for that woman, because after all, had she offered to pay for her elderly friend, I would have not had the opportunity to connect with both of them. I most likely would have not paid them much more attention. I was happy to have that small moment of connection. Even if it was anonymously and from a few cafe tables away.