August Happines Challenge: Day 3

 Rizz loves nice people

On Day Three, teaching kindness made me happy. Today, downtown is filled to the brim with happy people. The Cubs are home, playing an afternoon game, and it's the first day of Lollapalooza. The streets are crowded, but the energy is positive. Amid all this excitement, I witnessed a small moment that touched my heart.

A dad and his towhead little boy were waiting at the light at Michigan and Randolph. The son was so young that his shorts -- clearly covering a diaper -- were the biggest thing about him. His father had a grocery bag filled with snacks. Dad dropped to his knees on this busy corner, withdrew a small bag of Cheetos, and handed it to his son. The boy started to open the bag, but his father told him to stop.

He pointed his son to the teenager tucked beside the streetlight, holding a sign that read, "Homeless & Ashamed." The toddler waddled on over and, with great solemnity, presented his Cheetos to the kid.

I know the little boy was too young to fully understand what he'd done. But in a way, that's what made it so great. I hope that seeing and interacting with the less fortunate becomes a natural part of his life.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the Happy Cub. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.