good things happen to good people

After work one night earlier this week, I was waiting in the incredibly long lines of my local Walmart. It was a little after midnight, and usually I become rather impatient, but that night I just accepted the situation. I read a magazine about mental health and observed the people around me having conversations among themselves.

I took the time to reflect on myself. Recently, I have been attempting to be more positive. I may not always be bubbly or in a good mood, but I have been trying to take control of my thoughts and actions. Instead of becoming upset or immediately thinking negatively, I have been trying to train my brain to have a positive outlook.

For example, working in the service industry, I spend my day tending to people’s needs. Everyone is different and some people can be rather difficult. A lot of the time, I become frustrated and I begin to think nasty thoughts in my head which starts a snowball effect.. Our minds are powerful places. When we have negative thoughts, a black cloud blankets our brain and our entire perspective becomes that of negativity. So, when I catch myself thinking negatively, I try to immediately change my thoughts to positive ones.

Instead of being annoyed that someone has modified their dinner order immensely, I think about how lucky we are to live in a world with so much food variety and deliciousness. When some of my coworkers needed help getting their shifts covered, I worked for them. I implemented the mindset of doing for others what I hope is done for me. When my manager asked me to stay late on a Saturday night, I said yes even though I was exhausted. If I had not stayed, I knew my coworkers would have struggled throughout the shift which would, in turn, cause an outburst of negativity.

So I am standing in line, rather proud of myself for truly trying to control my perspective, when a man gets in line behind me. I am looking at a unicorn chap stick and deciding whether or not to get it for my youngest sister. We begin to make small talk about the long lines and the temptation of the impulse buys. Neither one of us is overly friendly but we are also not forcing our conversation. As the cashier scans my items, we talk about how delicious the cake is that he is purchasing. The cashier tells me my total and as I am getting the cash from my wallet, the man says to just add his two items to my bill because he is going to take care of it. At first I didn’t hear him correctly. He then said, “I’m serious, just put it all together. I’m going to take care of it.”

​I felt tears in my eyes. My first thoughts were, “What did I do to deserve this?” But he insisted. I thanked him over and over again, still in disbelief. I walked to my car and called a friend to tell her about the amazing act of kindness I had just received. As he was leaving the parking lot, he drove by and and the words he said will stick with me forever. He simply said, "Remember, good things happen to good people."

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