Kindness of a Stranger

I'm not going to lie. These past two weeks have been stressful. Here's the rundown: I have twenty-four days until I leave for Scotland. I will be going out of town twice before I leave. Full work weeks. Thanksgiving. This time of year is crazy. Pile issues of the heart onto that, and I've been made into perfect meltdown material.
Everything came crashing down yesterday. I got a call yesterday that William was sick, so that put extra stress on me. I seriously love that kid. Traffic was horrendous, so by 5:30, I was a mess--unnecessary crying, the whole enchilada. I told Mom that I would take her to get her haircut yesterday.  There's a TCBY next door. I went in expecting to get some white chocolate mousse to drown my sorrows (I'm an emotional eater. Don't judge).
The place was empty when I arrived. I was greeted by a young, friendly looking girl with bright red hair and bright blue eyes. This is how our conversation went:
"Hey hon, what can I get for you?"
"I just -sniff- need some white chocolate mousse."
As I'm fighting back the tears, she continues:
"Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?
At this point, I'm really trying to not sob in front of a stranger. I wasn't being very successful.
"Yeah, I do."
After I pay, she comes out from behind the counter and gives me a hug. I am not a touchy-feely person, but I take it with much gratitude. We go and sit at a table. I was such a hot mess. Sniveling and eating, I tell her all my troubles. It was such a relief to unload on someone I don't know. Her opinions on everything were completely neutral because she didn't know any of the people I was talking about or anything about my past.
I was so touched by her kindness when I left. She told me that I wasn't the first person who she's done this for. I guess that makes sense. I feel a little bit better knowing that I'm not the only woman in Memphis who goes to TCBY to make life easier.
Today, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I had the morning off, so sleeping in until 9:30 really helped. I don't remember the last time I was able to sleep without an alarm going off. Even my Sunday naps come with an alarm. I've been stretching myself too thin under the idea that "I'm getting an entire month off in December, so I have to do two months work in one to make up for it." You know what, it's okay if I don't. GASP.
Teagan, if you happen to read this, thank you for listening last night. Your kindness touched me. Thank you for being there when I needed someone unrelated to my life to talk to. You are amazing for listening to me. I sincerely wish you the best getting your counseling degree. You were made for it.