For dinner I stopped at a fast-food burger chain and was standing in line behind the only other customer: a middle-aged woman in her thirties. She ordered a hamburger then, after a pause, asked the cashier how much it would cost to add cheese. The woman was cheerfully informed it would only cost another fifteen cents. She looked down at the coins in her hand, then briefly glanced up at the cashier and shook her head no before returning her gaze to her hands, clearly embarrassed. After she moved on to wait for her food, I stepped up to order.  Although I was on a tight budget, I quietly asked the cashier to add cheese and said I'd pay for it.

As we all have, I've been helped by people and have helped people out over the course of my lifetime, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways. However, this event continues to hold a peculiar significance. I don't understand why it holds more meaning for me than it seems like it should, but even now, something shifts inside me when I recall the incident.  

I think it might be the best fifteen cents I've ever spent.