Mom has Surprising Reaction to Bullies

If you can't beat 'em, buy them a coffee? That's what a mom did at her local Tim Hortons after overhearing two women insulting her.

Dianne Hoffmeyer, a Canadian living in Michigan, was in line to buy some Timbits for her toddler when the pair of middle-aged women ridiculed her. They commented on her "nasty" hair and called her a whale. "Oh the whale needs to eat," they said.

What they didn't know was that Hoffmeyer had lost 120 pounds over the past two years on a weight-loss program. The hurtful comments continued and by the time Hoffmeyer reached the till, she was in tears.

Instead of addressing the women, Hoffmeyer did something unexpected: she paid for their coffees, then simply left.

"I bought it for them because it was the right thing to do," she said. "Instead of perpetuating a negative situation, I wanted to do something positive. I wanted to show my kids that you can make a positive out of a negative anytime."

When Hoffmeyer shared her story on Facebook, strangers rallied to her support, with some 94,000 sending her friend requests. Others offered to buy her Tim's gift cards.

But Hoffmeyer claims she'd do it all over again if she were to meet her abusers in person. However, she may never get that chance, as the women have not been seen since in that location.

It's an inspiring lesson in turning the other cheek, but the incident is also a sad reminder that some mean girls grow up to be mean women who don't think twice about saying ugly things to a person's face.

While Hoffmeyer had no control over the women, the only thing she could control was her reaction to them.

She chose to make a bold show of kindness in the face of cruelty, and for this we can only applaud her.