It’s Monday morning after a holiday weekend, and if you are anything like me, this is usually the time you feel the post-Christmas blues.
And, perhaps they are a little deeper this year with the uncertainty of the times and the tainted year we all have just lived through. At least for me, I know Christmas looked a little different this year and had a different feel in the air. The season seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye.
Maybe that’s because I’ve filled my days prepping for this next phase as I prepare to live out my dream. Or maybe just maybe it’s the tail of the times. Anyway, I woke up this morning earlier than I usually do with a little bit of the post-Christmas blues.
I decided to turn on my lamp, read in peace and reflect on the last few months. That lasted about an hour before I was ready for my cup of coffee.
Out of my bed I rose, climbed down the stairs and sneakily pulled the car out of our garage while the rest of my house remained asleep. I was headed to our local Wawa to pick up my favorite holiday blend coffee before it ran out of season.
I’ve made enough coffee runs this year that I have it all down to a science. I place all of the cups in the 4 cup coffee carrier and then run down the line of different coffees filling each one per request. Today, I had two coffee carriers to fill as we have a full house.
As I was finishing my coffee run duties placing specific lids for each person, a gentleman asked me how I was doing. I answered that I was doing great, but to be honest, the post holiday blues were still running through my veins.
I then asked how he was doing, and in a sincere fashion, he said he was doing great and asked me how my Christmas was. I said that mine was just a little different this year, but it still is my favorite time of the year. In return, he told me that his Christmas was quiet but very peaceful.
I replied, “That’s the hope! That we can have peace before all heading back to work on this Monday morning.”
His reply to that statement was exactly what I needed to hear. He said, “I’m just grateful to be able to wake up and have a job. A lot of people are hurt this year. So, I consider myself extremely lucky.”
By this time, he was finishing putting the lid on his coffee, and as he walked away, I thanked him for his perspective and wished he had a great day.
It was a special moment as I grabbed the two coffee carriers and headed to the line with a change in heart and lifted spirit. It felt as if the spirit of Christmas had finally hit me.
As if that wasn’t a big enough gift, when I arrived at the register, the cashier informed me that the gentlemen I had been talking to covered all of my coffees. I may be emotional, but a wave of shock ran through my heart, and a pool of water filled my eyes.
In a season that is often filled with buying gifts just to buy, I was quickly reminded of the real reason for the season. No one could put a price tag on the gift of bumping into that man at Wawa this morning and the impact it had on my heart. Perhaps, my gift of coffee was better than anything I found under the tree this year.
I don’t know his name, and I am not sure I ever will. Therefore, I cannot thank him for his kindness. He is a real “Secret Santa.”
However, I hope, in some way, I am paying forward his kindness by sharing this message with all of you. As Thomas Rhett’s song says, may we all find a way, “in a world full of hate, be a light.”