Random acts of kindness: pay it forward chain headlines

Last night baby boy woke every 90 minutes, and partway through the night we had a house-related catastrophe (don't ask) that kept me awake through what little sleep I might otherwise have gotten.

Needless to say, I wasn't in a chipper mood when I "woke" up and got ready for work this morning.

But then... browsing Express on my commute this morning, I read the following:

Making the work less terrible, one overpriced coffee at a time
A woman started an act of kindness chain that lasted for hours at a Starbucks drive-thru in Florida. She ordered an iced coffee around 7 a.m. Wednesday and asked to pay for the caramel macchiato for the stranger behind her. He returned the favor. The chain kept going - all the way up to 379 - as employees began keeping count.

Other news sources claim that the chain re-started, lasted as long as 11 hours, and reached as many as 700 customers.

The news actually made me a bit misty-eyed. I know buying a cup of coffee is a small thing when there are seemingly insurmountable problems in the world, but small kindnesses matter. I'm sure the lady who started the chain had no idea it would reach all the way to Washington, D.C.

But it did.

Long time readers of this blog (who stuck around through my maternity leave earlier this year) know that I am a huge fan of random acts of kindness. I also have a borderline obsession with my morning joe. And this news, expertly blending the two, was a bright spot in my otherwise bleak morning.

Thank you, coffee lady, for making me smile today.