When our Saturdays don't hold a social engagement, and we are free to move about as we choose, my husband, son, and I treat ourselves to a coffee from our local coffee shop in town and go for a walk as a family.
Oat milk lattes for us, banana bread for our boy, and we meander around the streets of our village, chatting about whatever comes to mind, pointing out various trees and animals we encounter to our son, and admiring people's lawns because we are now homeowners and admire things like lawns, gardens, and vegetation.
I am turning into my mother. (A compliment of the highest order.)
Lukas is quickly outgrowing his stroller, and last week, we let him walk to the coffee shop instead of trying to bait him into sitting in the stroller as we ordered our weekend treats.
He walked in like he owned the place. He said hello to everyone on our way to the counter and promptly told the barista, "Coffee, please!"
While waiting for our order, an older woman smiled at him and said hello. As he often does, he looked at me with permission to engage with a stranger. And so he said hello, then ran right into her knees and hugged her.
We don't know this woman. She does not know my son.
I immediately said, “I'm sorry.”
She looked at my husband and me with the biggest smile and said, "What are you sorry for!? I feel honored. That made my day."
The warmth she bestowed upon my son made my heart sing.
Sometimes, it can be easy to fall prey to the notion that everyone is horrible and everything is horrible, and the world is a giant dumpster fire of horrible, cruel sadness.
And sometimes, it is.
But there are so many people out there who are trying to pour goodness back into this planet. People who will hold open doors for strangers, donate to causes that have nothing to do with their immediate circumstances, volunteer at soup kitchens, pick up loved ones from the airport without missing a beat, pray for people they don't know, and do whatever they can to give from what they have been given.
Sometimes, if you're open to it, you'll meet a stranger who meets your toddler with warmth and kindness, a reminder that goodness does exist in this world.
xo,
Megan