A few days ago, a young boy walked up to my cash register holding two candy bars.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but is there any tax on candy?” he asked confidently. I shook my head no, taken aback by the question from someone so young. He then proceeded to smile and hand me the candy bars.
“I just found this dollar, so I wanted to surprise my mom and sister with these candy bars. Hershey’s is their favorite, so I know they’ll love them.” Everyone working around me and in line behind the boy smiled at the story with a unison "aw."
I scanned the candy and read the total: $1.78, because the boy was not old enough to have a rewards card and get the sale price he saw on the sign. I could feel this young boy’s heart break as he looked down at the single dollar in his hand.
This is when the unexpected happened. Immediately I saw two different people reach for their cards and three more start digging for change from their wallets.
As a cashier at a busy grocery store, I talk to hundreds of people each week. I don’t claim to know every one of my customers by name, but there are certain people and situations that will never leave my memory, and this story is one of them. The boy ended up going home with candy for his family because of the pure generosity of the people around him. No one had to hand me their cards or cash, but they all did without a second thought.
This is not the only example of the good in the world that I’ve witnessed. I’ve heard people ask to pay for the milk or eggs of the person behind them as a random act of kindness. I’ve had customers hand me money to make sure the person in front of them doesn’t have to put anything back. I’ve watched kids stay in the store a few seconds longer to help senior citizens unload their carts. I’ve witnessed more good deeds and kindness during my cashier shifts than I have on the news since I was old enough to start watching it.
A lot of people say that society has fallen apart, but they aren’t seeing all of the small things that happen every day. It may take a little bit to start noticing, but once you do, you can’t stop.
With the news constantly full of hate, destruction, war, and death, it’s hard to stay optimistic about the world we’re living in, but I’m here to tell you that there is so much more than what the media is showing. Little things like the young boy buying candy for his family happen all the time, and small things like that can inspire other people to start up a chain reaction of good deeds.
There is good happening all around you. If you don’t see the good, be the good. Be the person with the rewards card.
