Most mornings we wake up and expect the day to go just as we’ve planned. School, work, meetings, errands — «routine» and «predictable» have become our normal. However, every once in awhile, an experience comes along that we weren’t quite expecting. A day which starts as ordinary just may evolve into something life-changing.
As one woman and her son made their way through a fast food drive-thru one afternoon, they were simply hoping to enjoy a tasty lunch — however, to their complete surprise, they ended up leaving the restaurant with much, much more…
Tara Routzong was in the drive-thru with her son Landon when they both saw something eye-catching about the license plate in front of them. As they were waiting in line at the local Chick-fil-A, this mother and son noticed a small detail on the plate of the person before them — a piece of information which immediately sent them into action!
There was a reason why the licence plate caught their eye. After all, it displayed the word «Florida» on it.
Although we pass numerous license plates from a variety of states every day and think nothing of it, Tara and Landon felt heartbroken when they realized where the gentleman in front of them was from…
We have all watched the upsetting and overwhelming footage of Hurricane Irma on television. Irma, an incredibly devastating storm, powered through the Caribbean before slamming into the state of Florida. The destructive force of Irma has destroyed homes, communities, and lives.
When Tara and Landon noticed the Florida license plate before them — together, they decided to do something kind.
Tara shared on Facebook,
«Went to Chick Fil A for lunch today because yum. Landon saw the car in front of us was from Florida (we have been talking about Irma today) and he declared we were paying for their meal and I agreed.»
She then went on to say,
«But how do you pay for the car in front of you?? You run toward their window with a debit card in hand and scare the mess out of them lol»
The man from Florida, although initially startled, was understandably moved by this unexpected random act of kindness. And Tara and her son were quite touched as well,
«Landon and I both had tears in our eyes from how appreciative he was.»
And, as it turns out, the Floridian in the Chick-fil-A drive-thru was in fact escaping the path of this unpredictable and terrifying hurricane…
Tara said in her post,
«The man has left his home in Miami and was passing through to go stay with family in Birmingham. I told him we hoped he returned to his house untouched and that we’d keep him in our thoughts.»
The kind act of this mother and son most likely cost very little money, but it was the thought that really mattered. Although many lives have been shattered by the recent hurricanes, these tragic events have certainly brought out the best in us as humans. People from all over are joining together to donate their time, energy, personal belongings, and money to help rebuild the lives of those affected.
This humbled mom explained,
«I often feel like I’m failing because I can’t do it all, all the time and then things like this happen and remind me that I don’t have to. My most important job is going just fine.»
