I experienced something for the heart yesterday when I was shopping in a large bakery. A woman in front of me, who spoke English, had a large quantity of pre-packed Christmas cookies piled up at the checkout. I had also placed my small packet of coconut macaroons on the counter. When the woman saw this, she grabbed the packet and said to the cashier: “Can I have these cookies, too?” I replied to the woman in English that these were my cookies and showed her where I had got them. The woman thanked me but was busy paying with her credit card on her cell phone.
When it was my turn to pay for my cookies, the sales clerk was very upset and said that the credit card of the woman in front of me had not been accepted. A customer next to me said that the English-speaking woman whose credit card had not been accepted had quickly disappeared around the corner to the outside.
The young woman at the cash register seemed unhappy and kept fiddling with the cash register. It was a large amount of money that was now outstanding. Another older saleswoman came in and took my order.
As I was leaving, I heard an older, modestly dressed woman say in a quiet, firm voice to the young saleswoman, who was still frantically dealing with her shortfall at the till: “I’ll take the shortfall for the English-speaking woman!”
I turned to the woman and said: “But that’s such a kind, nice gesture, it’s not a matter of course. There are still people with a heart! Thank you for doing this because you feel sorry for the young woman at the till!“
Such nice incidents make me happy and grateful and at the same time thoughtful about how naturally the woman acted; and I have resolved to be even more mindful when I experience someone else’s misfortune.
