coffee

The Best Part of Waking Up

In Doing The Deed by Holly Walker

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I babysat last night till midnight. I stayed up till 2 in the morning because I have two auditions today. I got up for the first audition at 7:45am. The other audition is across town this afternoon. After that, I work a 10-hour shift and then go to a friend’s birthday party that won’t end till 3:00am. Jumpin’ Jehosophat!! I’m gonna need some coffee!!!

I have very little personal time today, but there’s always time to do a good deed.

Today’s good deed: BUY A COFFEE FOR THE PERSON BEHIND YOU IN LINE

I don’t typically go to Starbucks, but a friend got me a gift card for my birthday. (Thanks Ms. Thede!) When I do go, I usually just get a drip coffee. It’s the cheapest thing on the menu and the cashier can pour it. I’m in and out. No half-caff mocha frappy concoction for me. I’m easy. That’s what the boys keep telling me anyway.

So I pay for my coffee with my gift card and hand the cashier an extra $6. I tell him it’s to pay for the person behind me. If there’s anything left, I tell him to keep it as a tip. He thanks me and asks me what my name it. Done. Easy peasy.

Coffee for me is just a vehicle to hold my cream and sugar. Starbucks’ coffee is super strong so I have to load up. Oooo … and lookie here … nutmeg! I’m just about to dash out of the door when a woman taps me on the shoulder.

“Are you Holly?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you so much for paying for my coffee! I needed a little bit of kindness today. And you know what? I paid it forward!!!”

I started doing one good deed a day for a lot of reasons but mostly to try and be a good neighbor, a good friend, and a good citizen, and if I happen to brighten someone’s day, it’s a bonus. Today I had physical evidence of doing just that. It felt good. In fact, it brightened my day.

I popped home for a quick lunch and saw a story on Yahoo about a Starbucks in Florida.

For 10 hours people were paying for the coffees of the people behind them. 10 hours!!! A Florida man, Peter Schorsch, decided to put a stop to it. And he did. He was customer 458. Schorsch said, “Although I can’t prove it, I think this has become an organic marketing ploy for Starbucks.” Really, Peter? Really?

I can tell you first hand, Pete, that for me, it wasn’t a ploy. It just felt good.

Kindness is contagious. If I can brighten one person’s day and they brighten someone else’s, it could spread like a delightful epidemic. Like a rash of euphoria. Like a herpes of happiness. Too far?

I have too many things to do today, but I’m so glad I took the time to buy a coffee for my new friend Susan. So far it’s been the best part of waking up.

Photo (Flickr CC) by Brandon Shea

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Holly Walker

Ms. Walker made her acting debut at the tender age of 8 in For Spring is the Season of Happiness. She almost turned down the role of Mother Nature (she wanted the role of "Spring") until she found out Mother Nature had the most lines. On that day, a diva was born. Holly has traveled the world performing comedy. She has been to more than 40 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide. She is an alum of the improvisational companies Boom Chicago and The Second City. Holly currently works on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore as a writer and performer. She has been a part of the Rebel Storytellers family since 2009 and hopes to be with them for many years to come.
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