29 | May | 2013 | MissyRambles

I try to keep these blogs uplifting. Motivational. Positive.

But you know what?

Some days suck.

They just do. Sometimes it seems like everything is a big clusterf…um…mess.

Oh, you know your problems aren’t the worst problems in the world. You know that other people have it worse than you. You know that saying that goes something like…”if everyone threw their problems in a pile and started to hand them out evenly, you’d be quick to grab yours back”….blah, blah, blah. You realistically know all these things. But sometimes realistic can just kiss your butt. Sometimes you’re stressed. Sometimes you’re tired. Sometimes you have money troubles. Sometimes you have relationship troubles. Sometimes you have kid troubles. Sometimes you have family troubles. Sometimes you have work troubles.

And then sometimes you have them all at once.

I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I’m irritable. I’m pushing people away. I’m being irrational. I hate this about myself sometimes. I fully recognize it, but when I’m in the mood I’m in, I don’t really want to do anything about it. I don’t have the energy to be upbeat. To be positive. To see the silver lining and whatnot.

Oh, I will. Tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. Everything will resume into its natural order and everything will work out one way or the other. Like it always does. But right now?

Right now, I just want to be grumpy. And that’s ok. Sometimes it just has to be ok. There’s no other choice.

See? I’m human. Just like you.

Sigh. This too shall pass.

***

“I think I’m chronically exhausted
– Hilary Clinton

Two separate receipts – each with a $100 tip.

You hear about these kinds of things in the news all the time, right? Some unsuspecting waitress somewhere is left a large tip from some kind, generous patron. Pretty cool, huh?

These feel-good stories are always nice reminders that there are good people in the world. But let’s be honest here. Sadly, it always seems like these stories are far off somehow…like these ‘good people’ in the world aren’t actually in your world. Right? When they are just stories that you hear about or read about, they pretty much rank up there with TV shows or movies or books. They seem ‘made up’ somehow. Like fairy tales. Oh, you know they are true – these things really happened to someone. But when something doesn’t happen close to home, it’s easy to dismiss it and file it in the “that’s not going to happen to anyone I know” category. You feel me?

Well, not this time.

The picture I posted above? These are two receipts that were left on the table for my very-pregnant sister, Cathy. The “Payton” that the handwritten notes are referring to is my soon-to-be-born niece.

And the story gets even better.

The two kind patrons who left these tips? They were two young soldiers who had just returned from serving overseas.

Wow.

Cathy was moved to tears when she saw this much-needed selfless gift that was left behind for her. And, frankly, so was I.

I’m not really sure what else I can add to this story. I think the receipts speak for themselves – they are their own story. Their own proof that goodness and kindness still exist in this world. The handwriting, the celebration of a new life, the true generosity (growing up a military brat, I know personally that soldiers don’t easily have $100 bucks laying around to give away), the display of human kindness, of human togetherness….Wow. Just wow.

I don’t know about you, but this was something I think I needed to see.

Thank you, soldiers.

***

“For it is in giving that we receive.”
-Francis of Assisi