*This story was posted on the Love What Matters Facebook page
Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down by all the feel-bad news in this world. At this point, with the way we interact with tech, it almost feels unavoidable.
Every time we open our phones, we're swept up in a tsunami of endless negative news stories that, like a car crash, we can't look away from. In fact, this phenomenon is so prevalent, there's an official term for this online experience: "doomscrolling." Which is as ominous as it sounds.
Sometimes we need an end-of-the-day pick me up before we put our head to the pillow, which is exactly what one Massachusetts man got when he went for a midnight-bite, and it turned his whole night around.
A Late Night Pizza Run Turned Into a Heartwarming Story
When Worcester local, Mike Alexander, took a trip to his neighbourhood pizza joint, Kelley Square Pizza, he witnessed a heartwarming interaction, which prompted the late-night snacker to snap a picture and share his story in an uplifting Facebook post.
"I'm at Kelley Square Pizza waiting for my pizza to cook, and this little crippled old guy comes in. He's leaning on this makeshift cane and wearing two coats. His hands are trembling and he's wondering who is managing," Mike Alexander wrote.
"The man behind the counter replies, and without hesitation tell the other kid to stop cleaning (they close at 1:30). The elderly man asks if there's anything that would be thrown out he could buy cheap," Alexander continues, "The manager then tells the kid to make this man whatever he wants."
Alexander's post quickly went viral.
His story gained thousands of shares, with hundreds of Facebook users commenting on how touched they were by this one small business's big heart and the manager who decided to lead with love...and by example!
You Never Have Too Little to Share With Someone Who Has Less Than You
In the COVID-19 pandemic, American's saw over 200,000 small business shut down. A heartbreaking figure that is even more frustrating knowing how independently owned businesses were already struggling to fight against industry giants pre-pandemic.
Now, in 2023, small business are still fighting to stay afloat. In these trying times every penny counts and it is understandable that small town entrepreneurs would fight to hold on to their limited resources.
Yet, this is what makes Kelley Square Pizza's story so inspiring. It's putting the age old adage we learn in pre-school of "sharing is caring" to good use.
The statistics regarding poverty in America, are staggering. According to a 2021 census, with outdated data (used to measure poverty in the 1960's) 11.6% of Americans live in poverty. On top of that? 40% of Americans are one missed paycheck away from poverty.
There's no way around it, the figures are so disheartening, it's easy to become completely desensitized to the problem all together. To ignore the struggling world around us and keeping walk with our head down...literally.
But to steal from one of my favorite quotes from the Ray Charles biopic Ray: "It's a sin to stand in mercy's way." We never have too little to give, to those who have less than us.
"I just want everyone to know that during these tough and crazy times when others in the world are out to hurt and kill, there's still a lot of good," Mike Alexander wrote, "There's a lot of great. Start with yourselves. Open a door, pay for a coffee, pass on some food, donate to something, thank a vet, and hang out with the elderly. Anything."
If nothing else, Kelley Square Pizza's act of kindness is a reminder of why it's important to support small businesses. They are integral to our community and studies show we are community-oriented individuals.
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Woman holding her child's clothing.Marla Branyan / @marla_branyan
