Breakfast - Sunny Side Up!

Zboy and I decided to have breakfast at Shoney's yesterday. Gotta love this holiday season - I don't seem to do a lot of cooking because it seems like such a bother to me and everyone else.

So when he suggested an early morning meal out, I took the suggestion and ran with it. We bundled ourselves up and headed over there for some hot chocolate and breakfast buffet. Z was thrilled when we got the same waitress we had last time - she has such a sunny personality and a beautiful smile. You feel good just being in the same room with her. She came over to take our order and he smiled real big and said, "I'm so glad you're our waitress today - I just love you!" She beamed back at him and said, "You just made my day!" They then proceeded to try and out-sunny each other. I think it was a tie.

A couple of booths away sat a rather scraggly-looking man. He huddled over his cup of coffee and yawned as he tried to keep his eyes open. His dark hair kept falling over his dark eyes, giving him a somewhat sinister look. ZBoy kept looking at him warily over the edge of his cocoa cup, and finally told me, "Mom, that man scares me. He looks mad."

I glanced back at him over my shoulder, taking in the hair, the coffee, the look on his face - and the crutches and the one leg under the table. I turned back to Zboy and said, "I don't think he's mad, honey. I think he's kind of sad and maybe lonely. Not everyone has happy holiday times. And I think he might be one of those people." ZBoy studied him a little longer and watched as our waitress left his check and spoke cheerily to him. The guy's face softened a bit. He picked up his check and his crutches and made his way almost jauntily to the cash register. I looked back at ZBoy, whose mouth was agape. He'd never seen someone with one leg before. "Mom! He's only got one leg! No wonder he's not happy! But did you see him when LaTonya talked to him? He actually looked nice."

And that, my son, is the magic of being a sunny person. Even the unhappiest person can't help but be touched by a truly happy person. Our waitress was sunshine personified.

We pulled out the pack of post-its I had in my purse and Z drew her a picture. I then stuck it to a $10 bill. I'm not as sunny as LaTonya - but I can spread my own kind of cheer from time to time!

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If we weren't in Florida, I'd think we were in for snow with those clouds!