Today I got free donuts.
An entire half dozen glazed donuts for free!
I was substitute teaching today, and on my way to the school this morning I wanted to get coffee. I left about ten minutes early, and as long as there wasn’t any traffic, I would have plenty of time to go through the drive-thru for a medium hazelnut iced coffee with a splash of cream.
As I approached the coffee shop, I noticed the drive-thru line was wrapped all the way around the building. I had ten extra minutes, but I had never been to this location before, so I wasn’t sure if I could trust I would be through the line in time. In my experience, it takes a couple visits to a coffee shop to know what their pace is, and not all are as quick as others. The one closest to my house, for example, is always slow even though the shop by the same name a few blocks up the road has you in and out without using the brake pedal.
I couldn’t risk it, so I went straight to the school. That would make me early, but I would rather be early than late. Plus I didn’t need the coffee, I just wanted the coffee. My day wouldn’t be ruined because of it; I could still perform my duties fine without the extra caffeine.
On my way home from school, I realized I still did want the extra caffeine. Plus, I rationalized that if I got some while I was out I could drink half this evening, and take the other half to school tomorrow, avoiding the situation I faced today!
I drove into a new place, even different than the one I was planning on going to this morning, and pulled up to the speaker. Only one car in front of me, I waited less than a minute before ordering. “Can I have a medium iced coffee, with just a little cream and sugar?” As I pulled up to the window to pay, the cashier told me my total and asked if I would like a free half dozen glazed donuts. Uhmm, yes I would! I paid my $2.35 and drove away with coffee, free donuts, and a smile, too.
The best part of this interaction was how joyful the barista was to give them away. I’m not sure why she had extra donuts to give – it could be a messed up order, a misunderstanding between the staff, or extra that needed to be given away or thrown out. I’ve worked in restaurants before, so I know the predicament of having excess food and not knowing what to do with it. She probably could have just taken them home herself; though I imagine as an employee of a donut shop there are only so many donuts you can eat before your taste buds want something else. I don’t know why she had extra to give, but she was glad to be generous.
This barista doesn’t know me at all, yet for reasons beyond both of us was compelled to share abundantly. I would have been pleased with receiving just one donut and I got six! This simple moment of abundant generosity reminds me just how important these seemingly insignificant moments of our lives are.
Focusing on the present moment has grown to be a strength of mine in recent months, where my eyes have been opened to see significance in the small parts of life. In a world of hustle culture we are encouraged to be more, be better, be bigger, and to achieve. Living in the moment has shown me the importance of the journey when moving toward the destination. This is not a novel concept, and often the same people preaching the hustle message are the ones reminding us the importance of the journey, that the lessons we learn along the way are just as valuable as the achievements we earn.
My brain didn’t allow me to accept these messages as congruent the way those speaking did. Instead, I had to get still, get quiet, and focus exactly on the moment I was in. Here, I began to see more clearly the world around me as God made it. I began to understand the immense value that exists in every part of life.
This is why I write what I write. Free donuts and being early to work are not worth sharing without a greater reason. Those donuts will be eaten and gone by tomorrow. The substitute teaching job will not be part of my resume forever. But the beauty of small moments and the value which exists intrinsically in them is what makes up our lives. These are the moments worth celebrating even more than the benchmark achievements! With this perspective, we’ll be celebrating all day long. With this focus, we can’t help but be full of joy.
Today I got free donuts.
I got six free donuts in a joy filled exchange. And now I’ll share them with my husband and spread the joy to him, too.
