Day 4-Didn't See It Coming

Day 4: As I headed off to work this morning I thought about acts of kindness for the day. Today I felt more tired than I had the other days and I started to think about the level of energy it would take to keep this project going. It is not going to be easy, but like anything great, it wouldn't be great unless it was marked by the struggle to go on from time to time. This morning I put several candy canes in my purse "just in case" I might need them. As I pulled out onto the major highway I saw a disabled car on the other side. There was no way to get to it and I thought "You know...I might have just missed a great chance" but had to forge ahead for safety reasons. As the day progressed I was unsure what I would do, but knew I had the candy canes in reserve in my bag. I had to go out to grab some things for work and entered a retail store. Of no surprise it was busy due to holiday shoppers looking for deals and last minute gifts. I got my items pretty quickly and headed to the register. A tall man and his son blocked my way unintentionally and when the father saw me, apologized and allowed me through to the counter. As the cashier began ringing up my purchase a line quickly and unexpectedly formed. I saw the concern on her face that others may have to wait quite some time and heard her say "Oh wow...I'm going to need some help" under her breath as she stopped checking me out and reached for the intercom system. She paged for help, that never arrived before she finished my purchase. This was the moment. I realized I could give her a little encouragement and kindness to help with her busy day. As she handed me the receipt for my purchase I slid a candy cane covertly across the counter as I made eye contact and said "Merry Christmas." As I walked towards the door I heard her say "Oh my...where did this come from" to which the gentleman and his son who had previously blocked my way said "that lady just left that for you." Her response...."How kind." I smiled and kept walking. Imagine what would have happened if I had been sighing, huffing or puffing about the business of the holiday season or had engaged in a negative conversation with her rather than providing just a little pick me up and acknowledgment of her presence and current plight. I just wanted to send the message "I see you" and "you are valuable." 361 more days of kindness are you in?