Paying it Forward
Last week while leaving the Aldi's store, an older woman was standing outside by the shoppong carts looking at a man in the parking lot who was walking towards her pointing at me, while I was returning my shopping cart. The lady said she needed a shopping cart but did not have a quarter. OK, we've all been there.... I usually end up juggling items in my arms, hoping when I'm ready to cash out, someone will let me cut in front of them as I have let others do in the past when I have a full cart full and someone just has Milk, eggs and bread.
I looked at the woman and thought she probably would not be able to juggle too many items, just a guess ... so I told her "here, you can have my cart." She seemed panicked and said "but, I don't have a quarter". I told her, "don't worry, you can pay it forward". She just stared at me blankly. I asked her if she knew what that meant? "No", was her reply. I told her, "to pay it forward means to just turn around and do a act of kindness to someone else, usually a stranger and not expect to be repaid in any way". Her husband reached me as I was walking away and had a dollar bill in his hand trying to give it to me, I simply said "no, we're good" hoping his wife would explain.
Yesterday, while driving home on Main St, in front of Tops Markets, I wittnessed a woman waiting at the stoplight leaving Tops, whose trunk had just popped open but she was unaware... the young man in the car behind her got out of his car walked up and was knocking on her window, pointing to the back of her car, again an act of kindness to a stranger.
Which leads me to saying "thank you" when someone holds open a door for you, or holding the door open for the person coming in behind you rather then letting it slam in their face. I've been seeing that happen a lot when coming in/out of a certain store at the City Center lately. My husband held the door open for 2 women who did not say thank you, then they let the door slam in a very elderly woman's face. I was shocked, but what do you say? It's not a law that you should do this. But, when it doesn't happen you sure do take notice and puts you in a different mood. This little act of kindness is actually paying it forward if you stop and think about it. You hold the door open for me, I say thank you.. I feel good, I remember to hold the door open for someone the next time and so on. If we all "keep paying it forward", how great would that be?