I was working at a café on Christmas morning when an elderly man came in and asked for a coffee. He left a modest $1 tip—nothing out of the ordinary. But beneath that dollar, there was a small piece of paper with crayon snowmen drawn by what looked like his grandkids. I tucked it into my apron pocket without thinking much of it.
Later that day, when I was feeling a bit down, I pulled out the drawing. To my surprise, there was a handwritten note on the back that read, “You’re doing great.” It felt strangely personal and uplifting—exactly the kind of encouragement I didn’t know I needed in that moment.