The Sweet Lady in the Rice Aisle Made Me Realize Something…

The other day I was in the grocery store, standing in the aisle trying to grab some taco seasoning for dinner. There was an older lady in front of me, and instead of saying excuse me to get what I needed and leave, I just waited.

She looked over at me with the sweetest smile and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, darlin’, am I in your way?” Her southern drawl was so warm, I could’ve listened to her talk all day. I told her no, and we got to talking. She was looking for cilantro lime rice for her daughter, so we searched together until we found it.

When she grabbed it, she turned to me and said, “Thank you so much, darlin’. I hope you have a great night.” And honestly? She meant that. It wasn’t just her words, though… it was her kindness. It was genuine and warm. Very inviting.

While she was talking, I could almost picture what dinner at her house must feel like. A table set with love, laughter m around the room, food passed down with care. Wholesome... I could just sense it and feel it.

& it made me realize something. I don’t actually hate people. What I hate is what I see on the internet—the hate, the ugliness, the constant noise that makes the world feel heavier than it really is. But in real life, in these little moments, people still surprise me. They still remind me that kindness exists even through simple grocery store encounters. I hope she’s doing okay tonight. I’m one of those people who wonders what happened to person who said Hi to me in the gas station three weeks ago. I hold onto things like that. I bet it’s called something — I’m gonna google it and get back to yall on that.

That short encounter in the aisle stayed with me. It reminded me that leaving the house, getting out, and having interactions with people in real life is a valuable thing.