I had to squeeze one of my kids in for a Covid test and when I went to retrieve the online results, I realized I had entered the wrong birthday on his registration. I had no idea what I wrote down or why I gave him a new birthdate but I got myself locked out of the system and spent an hour on hold trying to sort it out with the testing center. I was tired and it was late and I was overwhelmed and flooded with holiday feelings. I could have offloaded on the poor lady on the other end of the line but instead I told her about my mistake and how I was embarrassed and how sometimes it feels like there’s just a lot of kid related info to keep track of even if 2 out of 3 of them have the EXACT same birthday. She laughed with me, and reassured my weary heart that the test was negative and she would correct the error. I told her she was the nicest person I had talked to all day. And then she said I was the nicest person SHE had talked to all day. And then we wished each other a Happy Holiday and things felt better after that.

So.

Pay for the person behind you in the coffee drive thru. Put a bigger bill in the Salvation Army pot and thank the bell ringer for standing in the cold for a great cause. Leave a bin of snacks out for the delivery drivers who are working around the clock. Go easy on the waitstaff who showed up. Tell your neighbor their yard full of inflatables is the best thing you’ve seen in months.