A random act of kindness

In typical bumper-to-bumper Miami traffic, I sat in my car on the morning of Christmas Eve and stared at the never-changing red light.

To my right, road-ragers frantically honked at each other. A lady angrily waved her hands to the driver in front of her. I inserted captions to her moving lips. "Move it!" I imagined her saying. "These gifts aren’t gonna wrap themselves!"
To my left, a middle-aged man approached cars with a box of candy. He held it up to drivers, hoping someone –anyone– had a sweet tooth and spare change. His presence was obvious, but not one person paid mind.
I searched my wallet for a couple dollar bills; all I found were maxed out credit cards, old receipts and lint.
The disheveled man saw me searching and stopped at my shut window.
"I have no cash," I told him in slow motion so he could read my lips.
"Open," he said. After a moment of hesitation, I rolled open my window.
"Pull out your hand," he requested, smirking.

Placing a bag of M&M’s on my palm, he wished me a merry Christmas and thanked me for trying, then walked away.
Through my side view mirror, I watched him continue his unsuccessful attempts to sell candy.
A day in his shoes would make me bitter, sad and angry at the world - of that I’m sure. Yet this man appeared to be none of those things. Though he was in need, he chose to give. I smiled.
And then, in the midst of my happy realization – Honk!
A driver in my lane felt the need to remind me the light had turned green a mere second ago. I sighed.
Christmas has passed, but the holidays aren’t over. Let’s remember to be a little light of heart, a little giving, and a lot more kind this season, even if we may often feel like we can’t.
Actually, let’s remember to be those things year-round. Add them to your New Year’s resolution list if necessary.
Kindness doesn’t have to mean dedicating a week to community service. Sometimes, it can mean wishing a person a good day, or perhaps holding back on honking your horn.
And giving doesn’t always mean a big wrapped box with a bow. Most of the time, a simple act of goodness -or a small bag of candy- can do the job as well.