To the Sweet Stranger At Aldi in Vestal, Your Kindness Completely Changed My Day

For nearly 20 years I’ve been shopping at Aldi, and up until this week, nothing remarkable had ever happened to me at that store but on Monday, that all changed.

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I know what you might be thinking. You might be thinking that maybe I got into a fender bender or dropped a carton of eggs, spilling them everywhere. Or, maybe my child darted away from me and almost got smushed. None of those things happened but what did was beautiful and unexpected and touched my heart in huge ways.

I don’t know if it was because I looked frazzled (let's call it what it is, my everyday look) or because I overestimated my own strength and piled six bags onto one arm while trying to hold my son with other arm but as I approached my car, a woman I’d never seen before patiently waited until I’d untangled from my son and put him in his car seat to approach me.

I thought that maybe the woman recognized me from my high profile job and maybe she wanted to ask a question about a contest my radio station was doing or about a charity event that we’re involved in but my guesses were incorrect.

Instead, the sweet stranger smiled at me and told me that although she had no idea who I was, she felt compelled to give me a bouquet of pink carnations and wish me a happy day. I grinned, thanked her profusely, and then slid into my car keeping an eye on her until I saw that she’d left the parking lot. Once the coast was clear, I bawled.

I couldn’t believe that someone would be so sweet to me, a total stranger, and for no apparent reason. The woman didn’t want anything in return and didn’t have a clue who I was. She was just a fellow woman who'd made it her mission that day to uplift and encourage another woman and man did it mean so much to me.

I mentioned my story to a few friends who said they’ve heard about a movement where people are buying little things like flowers while out shopping and then they find someone in the parking lot and practice a random act of kindness by blessing them with a gift, a smile, and a word of encouragement. I think the concept is a lovely one.

I was so touched and can’t wait to return the act of kindness to someone else the next time I’m out. We’re all doing our best to navigate through this rollercoaster called life, so why not be kind to one another? That reminds me of a fantastic car window decal that I saw and want to buy because it made me break out in a huge smile. The decal read, “I hope something good happens to you today.”

I hope that for you. I hope that something good and pure and joyous happens to you today. Maybe it’ll be randomly handed flowers by a stranger in a parking lot or maybe it’ll be a call from a friend you haven’t heard from in ages. Maybe your child will take a nap without a struggle or maybe a neighbor will decide to mow your lawn after they’ve finished theirs. Maybe you’ll have a good hair day or maybe you’ll nail your presentation. Big, small, or in between, I hope that something good happens to you today and that you will share that goodness with others.