How Coffee and a Sandwich Changed My Life

It was a few weeks before Christmas. I was struggling with the fact that I still had so many people to find gifts for with such a small amount of money. I work a part-time job in retail, and if any of you are familiar with this line of work, you know that it does not typically provide more than an hourly minimum wage. With the stress of finals also weighing down on me, I felt seriously discouraged and frustrated.

There is a coffee shop with a drive-thru close to where I live. In my normal routine, I occasionally stop for a little pick-me-up, so I pulled into the drive-thru line and ordered my drink and sandwich. When I came around to wait in line at the pick-up window, I noticed that the car in front of me was a minivan that had several of those little stickers on the back. I could tell from the stickers that it was definitely a family car and that they had several children.

What happened next was a complete shock to me.

They received their items and pulled away, and then I took my turn and drove up to the window. When I got there, the cashier told me that the woman in the car ahead of me had paid for my order.

I had heard of people experiencing things like this, and I could not believe it had actually happened to me! Someone with a lot of kids in the midst of the crazy Christmas season decided to pay for my meal. In that moment, I felt so blessed and I knew that an angel was looking out for me.

Out of the goodness of their heart, whoever they were, they chose to help me out and it honestly changed my life.

Since then, there have been many times when people asked me if I could spare a small amount of money, and without hesitation, I gave them a few dollars that I knew I could give. Also, each time I would pass the Salvation Army collection bins, I made sure to give some extra change because I truly understand that every little bit helps.

If anything, the entire experience showed me how a random act of kindness can truly mean so much. It really does inspire others. Random acts of kindness, whether they are money-related or not, can impact lives and ultimately change the world.