Mangoes and gratitude

The other day when I was driving to check out a new running trail, I was on the lookout for any street food stands that had one of my favorite things to eat. Mangoes. Sliced mangoes, to be specific. If there’s one thing you know about me, it’s that I love mangoes but hate cutting them. So it’s very convenient that these wonderful people can cut up 3–5 mangoes quicker than I can poorly cut even one.

But either way, I saw a mango stand when I was on my way and I made a note to stop there when I was on my way back home from the run. A nice little post-workout snack and dessert later is what I was thinking.

Fast forward. I finish the run and the GPS is taking me back the same way I came in. God wanted me to have these mangoes. I pull up to the spot and ask the guy, "Can I get sliced mango?" He didn’t speak much English, but hand gestures can do a lot to communicate. Something I love about being in Thailand.

But it’s not until he picks up the first mango to be cut that I remembered that I purposefully did not bring my wallet. I didn’t want to run with my wallet in my hand, and even though the seat of my motorbike does lock, I didn’t want to leave it in there either. I figured my apartment is still the best place for it to stay…

In the most unserious way, I’m devastated. I had it all planned out, and I was so close I could almost taste it. But since I didn’t have any cash to give him, I told him not to even start because I forgot my wallet. He was a super nice guy just like everyone else I’ve met in Thailand and he said, “Ok, no problem.”

That’s when a lady that had walked up while we were finishing our conversation stopped me as I was getting on my bike and asked me, “What did you want? I can get it for you.” I said, “No, you don’t have to do that! I just didn’t bring my wallet with me.” She said, “No really, I don’t mind, get what you want.” I didn’t want to turn down such a nice offer, so I said I just wanted some sliced mango. The guy already knew what we must have been talking about because he started slicing up the mango anyway.

He finished mine, she got a couple coconuts to go, and I thanked her as many times as one could thank a person in a short amount of time. She waved goodbye as she drove off, and that was that.

So now, as I’m sitting on my bike eating mango that I didn’t pay for thanks to that awesome lady, I couldn’t help but be grateful for encounters like this. Something that seems to be so small had such an impact on me that it’s still fresh on my mind days later. It’s really just the random act of kindness that goes a long way. People who you may never see again, and want nothing in return, doing something nice for a stranger. It’s really the best of humanity on display.

I’m super grateful for people like her.

But back to this mango experience. I'm about halfway done, and over my right shoulder, the guy who owns the stand approaches me with a bag of fresh sliced papaya. He smiles and then walks away.

At this point I’m like, what the hell is going on here?! Lol. I’m already eating mango that I didn’t pay for, and now the guy is bringing me papaya that I also can’t pay for? These people are something else. Angels or something.

Now I’m thanking him as many times as one can in a short amount of time. If there was a limit to how many thank-yous you can give, I would have run out for sure.

So now I’m double-fisting fruit with mangoes in one hand and papaya in the other. Once I finish, I tell him that I will be back and that I want to give him extra money on top of whatever I get the next time, for his generosity. I also asked him if the lady that paid for mine comes here often. He said yes, she comes often.

I asked if I could give him extra money the next time I come to pre-pay for whatever she gets next time as well. He said, “Of course.” I know she didn’t want anything in return, and neither does he. But that’s even more of a reason why I want to return the favor.

I’ll probably never see that lady again, but hopefully the next time she goes to get coconuts, she’ll get them for free just like I got my mangoes for free.

What they did was a perfect display of what’s good about humanity. And I knew I needed to record and share this experience in some kind of way to highlight the value and importance of being like these people. It doesn’t take a lot, and the world is better because of them.