Random Acts of Kindness: The doughnuts made him do it.
Paying it forward makes for blessed day
On the way to Giant Eagle, my car somehow drove me right into the sweetly evil Dunkin’ drivethru in Plum, and I ordered doughnuts and coffee and donned my mask.
At the window to take my nutritionally challenged but yummy doughnuts, I thrust the credit card toward the young woman to pay five-something bucks. Then she made my day.
“Yours is paid for,” she said. “The lady before you paid for yours. She said to ‘have a blessed day.’ ”
I had spied in the rearview mirror a young couple in the front seats of the older-model car and a young boy in the back. I said, “How much is theirs?” as I motioned backward with my head cautiously, not wanting to pay for $100 worth of luscious pastry. “You want to pay for theirs? This happens a lot. Theirs is $7.20.”
“Yes,” I replied, “kinda pay it forward?” “Yeah,” she said.
“Thank you very much, and you have a very nice day,” I finished. The worker replied, “You, too, and I’ll tell them you said, ‘Have a nice day. ”
“Please do,” I said.
In a parking spot there, I ate doughnuts and drank pumpkin-flavored coffee with just the right spice kick. I felt good about the woman’s courtesy and how I had passed it on, also to strangers.
A momentary respite from feeling bad about the ravages of COVID-19, money woes for so many, global warming, racial strife and an attack on presidential succession itself.
As the Dunkin’ cashier had put it, this random act of kindness “happens a lot.” Have a blessed day.
JOHN O’BRIEN
Murrysville
Acts of kindness truly a Pittsburgh thing
I love reading Random Acts of Kindness.
Being born and raised in Pittsburgh, most often I say to myself, “Sure this is Pittsburgh” the many times the same has happened to me or when I have helped others. Again Pittsburgh.
I’m not a world traveler, but I’ve been a few places people just walk by. And if they do help, a lot of times either they have moved from Pittsburgh or are visiting like you.
Moving to Sunday, why not use a half- page for letters?
NANCY JO LAUSO Baldwin Borough
The Post-Gazette’s Kevin Flowers coordinates Random Acts of Kindness. If someone has done you or someone else right, please tell him about it at kflowers@post-gazette.com. You also can write Random Acts of Kindness at the Post-Gazette, 358 North Shore Drive, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.