Day 544
52 Kind Things
I gave money to a homeless man this week. I saw him standing there, begging for money, and in my head, I could hear all the many years worth of practical advice given to me on the subject of homeless people. The biggest being this: "he's just going to use it to buy drugs and alcohol." Maybe he did. I'll never know. All I know is that I saw that man standing there on a busy road, begging for money. A man with no home. No food. A man that might not have a friend in the whole wide world. And I thought, I could be his friend. I could show him some love. I didn't have much to give him, but I gave him all that I had. I figured, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone takes a wrong turn here and there. Who am I to judge him? Who am to say he doesn't deserve help because he might use it to buy things he doesn't need. We all buy things we don't need. I'm hoping the little bit of love I showed the homeless man gave him hope, and helped him to feel love.
52 People I Love
This week, I've been thinking about my friend, Lisa. We met while working at Starbucks, and became fast friends. I loved working with her. We made every shift fun. We started a little coffee and tea tasting thing together. Every couple of days, we would set up a table where people could come taste different coffees, teas, and pastries. I learned so much about coffee and tea doing those little tastings. For example, the best thing to eat with Refresh tea is chocolate. The best thing to eat with a bold African coffee is a citrus fruit. We also learned that French roast is best paired with a cigarette.
I never expected to become as close to her as I did. But I fell in love with her. And on my last day, I'll never forget hugging Lisa, and hearing her say, "I'll miss you so much, I love you." It was then that I realized that I loved her too. I loved doing our little tastings together. I loved sneaking out with her to buy ice cream so we could make milkshakes. But most of all, I love her because she has such a good heart. She's so kind and gentle. She's easygoing. She would get hurt feelings when a customer was mean to her. And I love that about her because when a customer was mean to me, I would silently curse at them in my mind. I would say the most horrible things to that person. I would press the decaf button with glee while I continued cursing. I would hand the person their decaf drink, and give them my usual, "have a good one!" But not Lisa. When a customer was mean to her, she was kind back to them. She was quiet, but kind. The world needs more people like Lisa. People who are full of gentle kindness. So thankful for my friend. Thankful for the things she has taught me. Thankful for her shining example of how to show love and kindness to others when it's not easy to do so.
Thankful for a wonderful Sunday with my family. Thankful for the green glow of the grass in the evening. Thankful for tiny little flowers. Thankful for balmy baby hands to hold while walking up steep hills. Thankful for the wind blowing through the trees. Thankful for little bouquets of weeds. Thankful for so many amazing people in my life. I'm constantly blown away at how much love surrounds me daily.
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