My friend, Bruce, following up on the December 29 post on the Homeless Guy sent along a note with his own link earlier this evening, a “pay it forward” story: “It’s better to give than receive” here.
It’s a neat story.
About the same time, Molly sent along a neat Australian “flash mob” video, saying “oh I do love flashmobs, and, don’t miss the little boy at the end (watch ’till the final credits pop up). Enjoy, and a Happy New Year!”
And to you, too, all of you. Happy New Year.
I wrote back to Bruce that his piece reminded me of an incident I had experienced on Christmas eve a week ago at the local car wash here in Woodbury.
It was a terrible day to get a car wash, with snow accurately predicted for the next day, but I had finally reached my own limit on how dirty and for how long I could stand my little car without at least having a rinse.
So, I got in the very short line at the car wash I normally use. This would be easy: I had one coupon left. And all I had to do was to wait for the black SUV in front of me to finish its own wash.
I did as I normally do, but this time the check in pad gave odd instructions which I hadn’t seen before. I thought there was a malfunction. When the SUV finally pulled out, the auto-voice told me to drive ahead, and wouldn’t accept my punched in password or coins.
I was thinking that, for sure, I would end up stranded inside the car wash. The doors would close, and nothing would work.
Voila, I got the car wash for free.
The only logical reason for the freebie was that whoever was ahead of me had paid for my wash – sort of an early Christmas present from a stranger.
It was, certainly, a small deal. Just a tiny act of unnecessary and unexpected kindness.
The happening has stuck in my mind, along with the other extra small kindnesses that seem to happen a bit more often during this season than as a matter of course.
After reading the link, I wrote back to Bruce, as follows: “Neat story, and it’s true. It has occurred to me (may end up a year-end blog) that if each of us did, each day, a single unnecessary kind thing for somebody else, the country would be a different place.”
I didn’t relate to Bruce my own ‘trigger incident’, the one I’ve just described, that led to my observation.
So, in a few hours a new year starts here. And my simple proposal is to consider doing something unnecessary and nice to/for someone who’ll not be able to pay you back.
It doesn’t have to be a big deal thing: most any little thing will do in this too stressful world in which we live.
Nobodies keeping score.
Have a great New Year.
COMMENTS:
from Lydia, Jan. 1:
Wonderful story of “pay it forward” man pretending to be homeless. It was a few years ago that one heard of (or saw a button proclaiming) “Random Acts of Kindness & Senseless Beauty”.. How would the U.S. be transformed by more acts such as these? if nothing else, a person doing these acts is changed.
Thanks for the reminder!
Lydia