Kindness at the Movies

Last weekend my husband and I went on a double date with two of our best friends. We saw The Accountant, which we loved.It’s about a high-functioning autistic man who is a math genius, played by Ben Affleck. He uses very creative accounting–cooking the books–for dangerous criminal organizations. It’s an exciting thriller that also touched my heart.

But this isn’t a post about the movie, and I’m definitely not a movie critic. What I want to tell you is what happened before the show.

My friend and I were waiting to buy popcorn and drinks. The line next to us opened up, so I went over there. I ordered, and the cashier hesitated and smiled. I wondered what was going on.

She held up a $20 bill and said, “See this? Not the person before you, but the person before him, gave me this money and told me to use it until it runs out. There’s $6.75 left, so it’s yours.”

Really? I had a big smile on my face. I’d never been the direct recipient of someone paying it forward.

It wasn’t the amount of money that made me happy. It was knowing that someone cared and wanted to give, for the sake of giving. Nothing was being asked of me in return. It was pure kindness, from one human being to another.

I wanted to thank whoever did it, but that person wasn’t around. Maybe he was somewhere in the lobby waiting to see the reaction to his random act of kindness. Or maybe she was sitting in a dark theater, content knowing that people were warmed by her generosity.

It’s those small gestures that can make a huge difference in this world.

First image courtesy of here

Second image courtesy of here