Overthinking...Or Am I?

I have somewhat of a philosophical question rolling around in my mind as of late.

Last week I was waiting in line for lunch.  The line up system was a bit odd and confusing.  This resulted in a lady cutting in line in front of me.  With the spacing requirements she really didn't even see me waiting.  I was fine staying quiet, as I was in no rush.  It made me smile that I had done something nice, and the receiver of that kindness was totally unawares.  It was a "secret" act of kindness, and it seemed kinda fun.

But I slowly felt my tune changing.  Or maybe more questioning the approach.

As I watched this lady in front of me, I noticed that she was being somewhat short with the staff.  She was unsmiling, no "pleases" or "thank-you's", and just generally had a negative demeanor.  And I don't like to admit it, but I felt myself regretting being kind to her.  It felt like my act had been wasted and that she wasn't spreading further kindness, but was, in fact, spreading jerkiness.

And so I found myself asking some questions.

Acts of kindness are supposed to spark further acts of kindness, right?  But if the person on the receiving end is unaware, how can they be influenced to continue spreading that kindness?  How do they benefit from it if they don't know about it?   If this lady had been aware of what had happened, would she have been kinder moving forward?  Would it have changed her mood?  Would she have felt good and had a better day had she known someone had done something nice for her?

On the other hand, if you point out to someone that you just did something kind for them, is it still an act of kindness because you're now seeking recognition? Is the act of kindness for you, or is it for them?

Or maybe the problem was that I let myself become influenced by the result of the act.  Perhaps her subsequent actions are irrelevant and true, selfless, kindness is continuing to be kind, even when the result appears to be negative or someone doesn't react how you were expecting.

I obviously have not reached a conclusive answer to any of this...and I know I'm probably overthinking this one act.  But it did raise some thoughts and questions for me.

I do believe that acts of kindness are never wasted.  I just find myself wondering how they can have the most impact.