Everyone has heard that there is no greater feeling than the feeling of giving. Do you believe it? I do. I don't have a lot to give, but I certainly need a lot! I don't think I have ever had a stranger do a "good deed" for me, and I certainly would not expect it, though my friends have done plenty and I appreciate every little gesture, and I do my best to show my appreciation. Truly though, I do believe the best way to pay back that feeling and not just feel like you've paid your debt, is to pay it forward.
Yesterday I spent the majority of what I have right now on a vacuum that I've been wanting because I couldn't handle all the dog hair (from a pet that I'm lucky to have) in my home (which even though a financial struggle....I'm grateful to own).
This morning I decided since I'm feeling a little better (battled a cold all week and had to miss 2 days of work - which I'm fortunate to have a lot of Paid Time Off to cover), I would make a glorious breakfast. One cannot have a glorious breakfast, however, without bacon.
I went to the Save-A-Lot. If you've never been here, I will do my best to describe it. The Save-A-Lot is a small grocery store with basically just the essentials plus a few extras. Everything is off brand and the shelves are made of rickety plastic. It's certainly not a classy place to shop but it's a smart place to shop. I can go in there and get 11 items for $8.00. Sometimes I will go there, AND to the "regular" grocery store if I need 10 regular items and 5 things that I will not find at the Save-A-Lot (stir fry sauce, peppadews, goat cheese, etc....). It is still quite a savings! Often times there are people in this grocery store who are obviously low income...and honestly, not nice people. You know the type. "I have no money, but we need to make sure we have beer in the house, get me a pack of smokes, I got a case a soda, and 4 bags of chips, how much money you got?" If that you're that hard for money - make some better choices. It's hard for me to feel bad for this type of situation.
Today, this happened. I went to the Save-A-Lot for some bacon and sausage. There was a couple filling up their cart, late 40's, maybe early 50's. I didn't really pay attention, I was just really excited to get home and make up a delicious breakfast. :) The couple pulled their cart ahead of me and the woman started unloading it. Then the man (whom I assume was her husband) ran up and said "I'm sorry, here" and started helping her unload the cart. I noticed the contents of their cart: eggs, milk, cheese, bread, vegetables, ....all good hearty items. The woman laughed with the cashier and said "We're cutting it close here, we're on a budget". They rang the items up and had 4 containers of yogurt and an onion left. The two of them dug in their pockets for change, and paid for the onion. Then the woman said "No yogurt for me. I cry" And she smiled and laughed, not embarrassed, not upset, not angry, she just let it be. They joked more about having to make do the best you can between checks, they thanked the cashier and moved over to the counter to bag their groceries (that's how it works in this store).
I told the cashier to ring up the yogurt on mine. Just then the woman looked back and asked the cashier "Do you want me to go put that yogurt back?" The cashier said "Actually no, she's buying it" and the woman laughed and said "Oh well then it all works out for everyone". When my items were rung up, I took the yogurt and put it in the couples' cart. It was only $2.00. You could just FEEL how grateful they were, not that they NEEDED the yogurt, not that they were even upset about it, but the man mumbled to his wife that I was a sweetheart (awww shucks....*blush*) and smiled at me and thanked me and the woman thanked me several times through a choked up shaky voice. I said "it's no problem, have a good day". I heard them speaking to each other and they said "the best way to repay this is to pay it forward", then they hurried to find a man who left his gloves in the store and return them to him.
People say that there is no such thing as a selfless act. That may slightly be true. I didn't pay the $2.00 because it would make me a better person. BUT...seeing how truly grateful they were for such a small act of kindness, and seeing that they ARE the type of people to do something similar, makes me feel good not only for helping them out, but kind of puts my faith back into humanity. There are so many people out there that are poor and miserable (and I'm not calling this couple poor...but merely making a point)...because that's how they make their life. They don't do anything to better themselves, but they complain about everything they don't have. Why not? It's easy to complain. For those who can see through what they don't have, and appreciate what they do or what they COULD have....those are the people....that my heart seeks out... I guess is the best way to say it.
I didn't save the day. The yogurt wasn't going to get them through the week. I didn't act like a saint. But it made my day to see how much it meant to them, such a small act of kindness. A part of me wants to say "more people should do this when they can". The other part of me says "Maybe, more people do....and we just don't see it".
So...today I say this. Pay it forward, sometime, in some way. It doesn't have to be something big, but appreciate each other. Appreciate if your neighbor shovels your walk, or if someone gets a door for you while your hands are full. Pay it forward. It doesn't have to be monetary, just....think of others. You may not realize it, but they'll appreciate it. The smallest act of kindness just might make someone's day; maybe even your own.
Enjoy your Sunday.
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