Let's All Be a Little More Kind in the New Year

Something to think about as we go into 2016. Today I read THIS STORY that hit home hard for me.  If you have never had a bad year when you had to choose between gas to get to work and food, or between medicine and food, or had to do like I've had to do more than a few times last year and count out my pennies for food to last you through the day, you are SO BLESSED. Remember those blessings when you come up on someone who isn't as lucky as you. I can't count the times I've paid the last few cents for someone I could see was just buying staples to get through, or once a single can of baby formula. When I cashiered, I kept change in my pockets for people who were a few cents short, even though I was struggling myself.

2015 was a really bad year for me. Just last month, I had a little over $3 on one debit card and a little over $2 on another and $1.37 in change. I'm very resourceful and very frugal, but that was all the money I had and all I had in my cupboard was rice, seasonings and saltine crackers. I was at Dollar General buying canned goods to make what I call "canned soup;" one can each of corn, beans, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots, flavored with some Mrs. Dash that was so old that I had to scrape it out of the bottle with a fork, and chicken bouillon cubes.

As I paid for my purchases, carefully telling the cashier how much was on each card, then paying the balance in change, the rather large -- o.k., obese -- well-dressed woman behind me was sighing and rolling her eyes. She had nothing but chips and soda and junk food in her cart -- lots of it. She was mumbling something about "I'm going to be late." 

I'm a Southern woman, and I don't take guff from anyone. My friend once said that I can slice and dice you so completely with the sweetest smile on my face that you wouldn't know you were injured until body parts started falling off. I turned to this woman and with a huge smile on my face very quietly said "Bless your heart. While you're scarfing down all that junk food, putting even more disgusting fat onto your already disgustingly bloated body, remember me, because this is all I have to eat for the next two days." She just glared at me, but said nothing.

As I was straightening out my groceries to leave, I saw her pull out a Gold Visa card to pay for her crap food, then as I was walking across the parking lot to go home (since I have no car) she sped past me in a shiny new BMW and gave me the finger. Now I believe in karma, and that lady has some big, bad stuff just waiting to slap her in the face, and hopefully, it will make her a little more humble.

Kindness costs nothing and it can change someone's whole life. Help where you can, and be patient and kind when you can't. Remember when you see someone like me in the line in front of you that there but for the grace of the universe goes you and yours.