It was 6 a.m., and I reluctantly got in my car to drive to work. The exhaustion overwhelmed my body as I rubbed my eyes. I did not sleep well the night before due to the fact I was up stressing about juggling two jobs and two internships. In order to get through this 10-minute drive and five-hour work shift, I needed coffee. I went through the drive-thru at the nearest Dunkin' Donuts, bought my coffee and continued on my way to work. When I went to take my first sip of coffee, the cup slipped out of my hand, spilling all over my work shirt and leaving a lovely puddle in my car. "Perfect," I thought. I barely made it through the first three hours of work when my break came. Still needing a coffee if I wanted to make it through the rest of work without sleepwalking, I drove to the nearest Dunkin'. I pulled up to the window finding out that the person in front of me had paid for my order.

It was a small gesture. My coffee was not expensive. It did not take a lot of time to do. But that stranger who paid for me has no idea how much it changed my day. All the negativity and stress I experienced previously were soon taken over by the appreciation and gratefulness for good people. Despite what my day looked like, I wore the biggest smile on my face. I wanted to do the same for someone else, so the next day I paid for the person behind me in the drive-through at Dunkin'.

Again, this woman's coffee was no more than three dollars. I pulled out into the road and noticed the person behind me was flashing their brights at me. Thinking that they wanted to pass me, I pulled over. To my surprise, they pulled up next to me and rolled down their window. She was an elderly woman wearing a big smile on her face. She thanked me a million times for buying her coffee and then explained to me how this was the first day out of her house since her husband had passed, and she was expecting it to be a terrible day. She told me that what I did for her was a sign that her husband was watching over her and continued to thank me so many times that I lost count.

Next time you are going through the drive-through getting coffee or fast food, remember that you never know what kind of day someone is having. It is not hard to do, and you can never know the effect it may have on someone else. Spread the word and join the drive-thru difference and change someone's day.