The kindness of everyday people means a lot to me, maybe more than the big stuff. This isn't the "hometown hero" stuff you see on the news: no one dragged a family of five out of a burning building or performed CPR for 40 minutes until the ambulance arrived. All of that stuff is amazing and thank goodness for the people who do it, but I'm talking about the really little stuff: the people who let someone with only one item cut in line at the grocery store or who keep holding the door open even when they realize it's a steady stream of people coming in instead of just one or two. Those people are little stars who can help brighten an otherwise sad day. White T-Shirt was one such person. Here are two more:

Home Hardware Guy: Standing in line with four nuts at Home Hardware on Saturday, my mom decided to go wait in the car, so I had to (loudly?) remind her that she was supposed to stay put in case I needed additional change. The cashier looked at my purchase, realized it would be under one dollar, and told me that it wasn't worth ringing up anyway, i.e. those nuts were now free. I protested, as did my mom, but he insisted. Thanks, Home Hardware Guy.

Starbucks Lady: I just went down to the Starbucks in my office complex to buy a tin of Zen tea. They didn't have any on the shelf or in the back when the kid took a look. He told me to come back on Friday when the next shipment had come in. While I was walking away, he called out to direct me to a nearby location in case they had some. I decided to check it out. They didn't have any on the shelf or in stock either, so I simply ordered a tea. The barista took a few extra tea bags and put them in a bag for me to take with me "to tide [me] over." Very sweet. Thanks, Starbucks Lady.