Breakfast Ends, Kindness Begins

This morning started with one of those small disappointments that shouldn’t matter… but somehow does. I haven’t been feeling so great lately, and sometimes the little comforts are what get you through the day.

Mine this morning was supposed to be a Taco Bell breakfast burrito. Not just any breakfast burrito. The Grande Toasted Breakfast Burrito with about twelve packets of breakfast salsa. I don’t even like Taco Bell that much, but for some reason that thing is all I need. So I pull up to the drive-thru. And immediately realize… Daylight Savings happened. Breakfast was over. Lunch menu only. I’m sitting there staring at the menu thinking, I don’t even like anything on here.

Instead of driving away grumpy, I decided to go ahead and order lunch (ewww). And I bought breakfast for the guy behind me. Well… technically lunch. But still. It made me feel a little better.

After that I went to the car wash. I have the subscription, which if I’m being honest… I absolutely abuse. If I’m driving by, that car is getting washed. The guy working there this morning actually took the time to spray the inside of my wheel wells and hit both sides extra good before sending me through. Most days they just wave you through. So I rolled down my window and handed him a twenty. I don’t normally tip there. But when someone takes the extra time, it feels right to acknowledge it.

From there I decided to wander through the mall. And wow. It’s sad. Empty stores. Locked gates. Quiet hallways that used to be loud and full of people. I sat in the middle of the mall for a minute just thinking about what this place used to be. When I was a kid, this place felt magical. There was a bowling alley with a diner attached. Stores we would wander into knowing we couldn’t afford anything, but it was still fun to look. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny set up right in the middle where parents lined up with their kids for pictures.

It wasn’t just shopping. It was social. It was community. Now most of it is gone.

I did my very important mall errand — buying bras, because apparently that’s what adulthood looks like — and sat there for a bit longer just remembering. Even heard my mother’s favorite song I remember her blasting on the radio one day singing from the top of her lungs. The world feels different now. Faster. Quieter. More isolated. But this morning reminded me of something small.

Kindness still exists in the little places.

A meal for the car behind you.

A tip for someone doing their job well.

A smile through a drive-thru window.

Those things still matter.

And sometimes they even make a disappointing Taco Bell trip turn into a pretty decent morning.

Just smile and… Dude… Don’t Be Rude.