Candyman

We recently took a trip to Dallas to find a place to live. While there, Devon got a headache, so West and I walked to Wal Mart to get him some Tylenol. We got in line to checkout behind this thuggish looking man, who was probably in his early 20s. When he realized we were behind him he started talking to West. He asked me how old he was and proceeded to tell me he was expecting his first baby and was really excited.

He asked me if it was ok if he bought a candy for West. I didn't want a stranger to feel obligated to buy something for my child, so I responded that he had eaten so much junk the last couple of days. I thought this would deter him, but he knelt down and told West he would buy one anyway and give it to his mom so I could decide when to give it to him. A few minutes later while placing his groceries on the belt, he grab a Reese's and placed it with his groceries. As soon as he had paid for it, he handed it to me. I thanked him for being so sweet, wished him good luck with the baby and we said goodbye.

I learned a couple lesson from that experience. First of all, the old adage, 'Don't judge a book by its cover,' is definitely good advice. Had I met this man any place other then a well populated store I would have kept my distance and missed out on meeting a great guy. Secondly, it's really amazing how such a simple act can really make someone's day.  I was a little grumpy when I left for Wal Mart, but I couldn't stop smiling on the way home. This guy was such a great example to me of small acts of kindness. I guess all that's left to do is 'pay it forward.'