Letting a man go ahead of me in the grocery check out
Changed my life
Last summer, I gave away free copies of Paperdolls & Cowboy Boots to any of our subscribers who shared a story of a random act of kindness they’d done. Here is another true act of kindness:
A very busy day at the grocery store. My cart was jammed and I was ready to check out. Behind me, a man with only two items. I nodded and said, “Why don’t you go ahead of me?”
He sighed, “Thank you.”
After he was in front of me he said, “I’m going through chemotherapy and I’m quite tired. Thank you.”
I blurted out, “Oh, of course, I hope it goes well.”
He paused, then met my eye, “My cancer is terminal. The treatments are to prolong, not cure.”
I blinked rapidly. My eyes watered. I mumbled, “I am so sorry.”
He nodded and proceeded to check out. He waved when he was done. He smiled then said, “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
After all my groceries were scanned and bagged, I reached in my purse to get my credit card. The clerk said, “Here’s your change.”
She continued, “The man before you paid $300 for your groceries. He told me to give you the change.”
I was the one trying to be kind to him. My big act of act kindness was to let him go in front of me. Instead, his words and gesture changed my life. I will never forget him. I try to enjoy my days, all of them. Especially since I know there will be many he will never have.
Everyday Acts of Kinds is a section of Paperdolls.Today. The post from this series drops on Fridays. If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from any of the sections, please follow Substack’s Instructions.
This brought tears. 🫂