Unexpected Gifts 🎁

So in the middle of Friday LYFT driving I hit a Starbucks drive-thru.  It was the usual eight car line which means ‘Mark – Breathe.’  I had been listening to ‘the news’ and again found myself repeating something I reread recently “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”.  At the current 7,000+ lies in a little over two years, I get a bit weary. 

I pulled up to the window to pick up my order and the woman met me with, “The car in front of you paid for your order”.  In an instance I was no longer mired in the cynicism that was swamping my day.  That single act of random generosity changed my whole mood.

These past few months I have been swept up in one of the most unexpected of gifts.  On Thanksgiving Day we got a phone call from our oldest daughter. “You are going to be grandparents again in May”. There will be 27 years between our oldest grandson and our youngest grand daughter (thank you sonograms).  The best gifts don’t always come on the designated gift days. 

A whole day’s mood was changed by a grande almond milk latte given to me by a driver in a silver car.  The world no longer seemed heading to irretrievable chaos.  I am not sure how to keep from defaulting to hopelessly happy bumper sticker, refrigerator magnet, Hallmark card cliches, so I guess the world just has to live with my eternal optimism.

Random acts of kindness are appreciated. Go be random.

Onward and Upward,

Mark