Unexpected holiday cheer
As a reporter, often I see a lot of the bad in the world — crime scenes, murder trials, and fatal car wrecks to name a few. However, there are moments in life that make you stop and realize there is still good all around you. I recently had one of those moments in an unlikely place — the Lufkin Starbucks drive-through. I was on my way to work, with just a few minutes to spare, so I wheeled my Honda Civic in to get my last-minute caffeine fix. As soon as I heard the words “Welcome to Starbucks,” I ordered my usual — a grande non-fat white chocolate mocha. As I waited for the car in front of me to finish up their business at the window, I noticed the barista explaining something to the driver and pointing toward my car. My first thoughts: Did they run out of coffee? Is their credit card machine down? All thoughts were focused on how the aroma of my morning wake-up may never get into my hands.
I pulled up to the window, and as I handed the lady my debit card, she said a customer already took care of it for me. I was shocked. She said the driver two cars in front of me had paid for the two cars behind her. The mystery giver told Starbucks to tell the drivers, “happy holidays and God bless.” I would have paid-it-forward, but there were no cars behind me. It was a blessing, a really exciting moment. It may sound silly, but when I’m nearing the end of the work week coffee is a must, and it was amazing to think someone out there cared enough to buy my a.m.-happiness. As I sipped my hot coffee, I thought about the person who had changed my morning the entire 20-minute drive to work.
I called everyone I could think of to share the good news because to me, it was more than just a nice East Texan buying my good morning. It made me realize that we should spread that same holiday cheer not just around Christmas, but every day. I can’t explain how much it meant to me, and I’m still looking for a way to pay-it-forward. To that person out there, if you ever happen to read this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You changed not only my morning, but gave me a fresh outlook on life. I’ll never forget that random act of kindness, and now I will work harder to look for the good in everything. Regardless of life’s obstacles, there are always individuals out there that care. A cup of coffee, a kind word or even a smile — you never know what people are going through, so why not spread the holiday cheer all year. Happy holidays!
