Full Stomach, Full Heart

I've written a lot of food posts over the years, and most of the time the feels just sort of happen somewhere between the first and the last bytes of the meal (I suppose that you could say that the meals precede the feels). Today was a bit different though. Today the feels started well before I started eating my food.

To be completely honest, today was one of the more bogus days I've had in a while. I had a hard time falling asleep last night which meant that I was pretty tired today. On top of that, work was mildly stressful because of some last minute changes. Then there's the isolation of being out of town on my own. Normally, these things wouldn't be a big deal. I understand that shoot happens and sometimes you just have to roll with it. Something about today was different though; I just didn't feel like myself.

After finishing work, I went to the gym, showered, and drove to a Chinese restaurant nearby. For some reason, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, so I parked the car and went inside thinking that I would just eat quickly and go to bed.

Everything about the bogosity of today's events changed the minute I walked in the door. An elderly man (who I assumed was the owner) greeted me with a wide smile, the kind of smile you have when you meet an old friend that you haven't seen in years. He seemed genuinely happy that I was there, even though I've never seen him in my entire life. He brought me to a table and asked me if I wanted something to drink. I told him that I just wanted water, and with his cheerful smile he asked if I wanted it with ice (I said yes because he seemed pretty hype about it and also because ice and spice go hand in hand).

Honestly, I could end the story here. I've heard a lot of people say that you should always treat people kindly because you never know what they may be going through. It seems like genuinely good advice, but I've always doubted the impact it could really have. Then along comes this restaurant owner who greets me with a smile and excitedly gives me a glass of water, flipping the entire narrative of my bogus day upside down and causing me to reconsider the true power of kindness.

I ended up ordering some fried rice with extra spice (this is also my third time ordering fried rice since last Tuesday but don't flame me). The waiter brought me the food and said that if it was not spicy enough then he would bring some hot oil. I told him that I would try some, and he cheerfully brought it to the table "just in case". For someone who had never met me, he certainly knew that I was about the spice. The hot oil and the rice was delicious, and overall I started to feel pretty delicious as well. I ended up eating every last grain on rice on the plate (either because I was hungry or because I'm south Indian and I love my rice who knows tbh).

Today was truly a day of meals and feels (I also had a burrito for lunch today but that's beyond the scope of this post), but I write all of this to say that it's worthwhile to put forth the extra effort to be kind to everyone. After my experience today, I really do believe that the little things can make a difference. Who knows what kind of impact you might have just from the butterfly effect of your smile? I may never see this man again, but he single handedly (or single mouthedly because he smiled with his mouth) turned my bogus day around. I can say with full confidence that I left that restaurant today not just with a full stomach, but with a full heart 💜