Kind Intentions But...

Day 223

Today was an attempt at kindness, without much success. When I was checking out of the market , the woman in back of me accidentally forgot to put the bar between her order and mine. Before we discovered the mistake, about a half dozen cans of her soup were in my grocery bag and on my tab. She was clearly embarrassed and apologized several times. I said “no problem” and “don't worry about it,” and tried to make a joke (apparently not a funny one) about how we both liked the same kind of soup. But she looked so annoyed with herself, nothing I said seemed to have an effect.

I felt bad that I could not get her to smile. I left the store wishing I knew just what to say to help her put her 'mistake' (as she saw it) out of her mind. I guess sometimes kindness fails---even when with the best intentions.