5:58 p.m. | 2002-09-13 The Kindness of Strangers. So, I stopped at the neighborhood market on the way home today because I was needing some Laffy Taffy. I don�t have much a sweet tooth, but occasionally, I feel the urge for a little sugah. And today, I was needing a little bit of Laffy Taffy. I went into the market, greeted the cashier, gathered my Laffy Taffy and proceeded to purchase it. Out of nowhere, I suddenly asked the cashier if he had a Louisiana quarter. Why? Because I really want to go to New Orleans before I die. I don�t have any current plans to go there, so I�d be happy at the moment just to have a Louisiana quarter. As some sort of talisman of my future trip, which I know will be a life-altering kind of journey. Don�t know why I know that, I just do. Then I realized that I just asked the cashier to go through all of his quarters to satisfy a bizarre whim of mine. How inconsiderate. However, he diligently looked through all his quarters and found one for me. How sweet is that? (And yes, I do know that I could just go to the bank and buy a whole roll of them, but that would take all the joy out of the hunt.) While this was going on, a young man came in to make a purchase and ended up being 30 cents short. I generously said: �I have 30 cents� and handed the cashier a quarter and a nickel. The young man was somewhat taken aback but recovered enough to thank me. He left the store; I left the store. I saw him get into his brand new Lexus and he saw me get into my very modest, somewhat dinged up 14-year-old car. I guess that�s why he was 30 cents short, what with a Lexus-sized car payment and all. We waved at each other. Kindness karma was being bandied about and that�s always a good thing. your thoughts? seed flower