Yesterday, I had a full-blown MOMMY MELTDOWN 😭. It was one of those mornings where nothing seemed to go right, and I was rushing to get my daughter out the door. The night before, we’d had a power outage due to storms still happening, so we woke up late. In my panic, I decided we’d grab Wendy’s on the way to school. I figured it would be a quick fix for our hectic morning.
Pulling into the Wendy’s drive-thru, I was greeted by the cheerful voice on the speaker, “Welcome to Wendy’s! What can I get you today?”
And then it hit me—I LEFT MY PURSE AT HOME! “OH CRAP,” I blurted out. I immediately asked, “What’s the cheapest breakfast item you have?” in an effort to keep things moving despite my growing stress.
The voice on the other side of the speaker didn’t sound annoyed or frustrated. Instead, she responded with a kind understanding, “A sausage biscuit is $1.75, or a regular biscuit is $1.50.”
“Let me check, one second,” I said, trying to make sure I had enough money on hand to cover something. The voice on the speaker patiently waited, not rushing me. I dug through the car console for spare change, feeling more flustered by the minute.
Finally, I found just enough for one sausage biscuit. “Okay, I’ll take the sausage biscuit,” I said, trying to keep my composure.
When I got to the window and handed over a pile of loose change, I felt like the absolute definition of a flustered mom. But then, the girl at the window, probably around 18 or 19, noticed my stress. She smiled kindly and asked, “Is everything okay?”
I started explaining everything: the power outage, the forgotten purse, and just as I thought it couldn’t get worse, my daughter piped up from the backseat, “Mom, you forgot my snack for school!”
At that moment, I just wanted to crawl under a rock. It felt like the universe was conspiring to make this morning as chaotic as possible.
But then, something amazing happened.
The girl at the window, without a word, disappeared for a moment and came back with a small bag. She handed it to me and said, “These apples and juice are for your daughter. And the biscuit is for you, mama. You can’t forget about yourself. Once you get some food in your belly, you’ll start thinking straight.”
I was speechless. I couldn’t believe this stranger—this young woman I didn’t even know—had just turned my entire morning around. She saw I was struggling, and instead of just handing me my order, she went above and beyond to offer something more. A small, simple act of kindness that completely shifted my mood and left me on the verge of tears.
I thanked her profusely, but she just laughed it off, saying, “Don’t worry about it. Pay it forward when you can!”
I left the drive-thru completely touched by her kindness. After dropping my daughter off at school, I was still reflecting on the experience, so I decided to go back to Wendy’s and show my gratitude. I went through the drive-thru again, this time with $20 in my hand to give her as a thank-you.
But when I tried to give her the money, she refused it. “I just love doing nice things for people who seem like they need it,” she said with a smile. “It changes your whole day, doesn’t it?”
She was absolutely right. Her kind gesture didn’t just change my day—it changed my whole outlook. It reminded me that, even in the chaos of life, small acts of kindness can make all the difference.
We need more people like her in this world. She was a reminder that kindness isn’t about big gestures—it’s about noticing when someone needs a little help and offering it without expecting anything in return. This young woman, with her simple act of kindness, taught me the true meaning of paying it forward.
Now, I’m left wondering how I can repay her. Maybe one day, I’ll get the chance to pass on the kindness she showed me. But for now, I’ll hold onto this experience and try my best to spread a little more kindness in my own life, just like she did for me.
