walking towards a checkout lane, an older white guy with his cart full told me i could go before him as he observed i had much fewer items. i told him it was okay and that i didn’t mind waiting, but he insisted. it was a kind gesture. after i check out and my card is running, he addresses the cashier by his name, larry. larry is an older, white male as well, except he’s bald. he tells larry they’ve worked together before, and that he said something to make larry laugh. he says he doesn’t know what he said, but he bet it was funny. they both chuckle, and as i grab my bags, he’s looking at me laughing and waving. i put my hand up and tell him to have a good night. this seems strange, but i walked out of walmart feeling amazing because that type of genuineness is rare to come by. the gentleman struck me as someone who could be friends with anyone, someone with a pure heart, someone who’d never met a stranger before.
in a world of hyper-sensitivity, political dispute, and subjective personal turmoil, it’s refreshing to be reminded up genuine kindness.
-ratha, 8:19pm, 1.23.19