Dollar Store, Early Morning

I went to Dollar Tree (a store where everything is $1.25) early one morning to find a last minute addition to my daughter's Halloween costume. As I entered the store, a woman entered just behind me, with her two sons (I heard them call her "mom") around 7-10 years old. She seemed to be in her mid-20s, with some face piercings and missing many of her teeth. I heard her tell her boys that she had to get some balloons and some party utensils and that they could buy some candy.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a strong feeling arose in me that I wanted to pay for whatever she was going to buy. I didn't know how I was going to do that; I just continued my shopping and knew that a plan would come together.

I saw one of her boys playing with the sunglasses on a rotating rack. She slapped the glasses out of his hands, and as they (the glasses) hit the floor, she said, in a volume that could easily be heard throughout the store, "You're gonna get f'ing smacked!"

My judgment flares went up and I said to myself, "Well there goes that. I'm definitely not doing anything nice for you!" My heart completely shut down.

I noticed, in that moment, how I judge everything. It may not be a cruel judgment, rather assigning value to every single thing that I see or experience. I say "that car/shirt/hat/girlfriend is better/worse than my [whatever]," or "I'd never be friends with someone like that," or "Why do people even buy paper books anymore?" Constantly comparing and contrasting, and to what end? Surely not happiness.

As I caught myself in the folly of judgment, my heart re-opened and I wanted to pay for her stuff again, which I did by walking by the payment terminal, tapping my phone and walking out.

Maybe I made her day, maybe I didn't, but I did open a new path toward happiness for myself.

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