Pay it Forward
My brother was in town this last weekend. We decided to do some thrift store shopping, which is an old hobby of ours. We had to stop at Goodwill since it was a 50% off day. The place was crawling with people, and I was immediately reminded of Black Friday. I laughed when my brother said, "Man, these people sure take their Goodwill seriously!" Yes, five registers with twenty plus people lined behind them made that very clear.
Of course, I had to find something on such a busy day. The idea of standing in line was too much to resist. Not! But, the finding something was true. I found this cute wooden dollhouse for barbies. My daughter's birthday is in a few weeks, and I hadn't been able to convince myself to pay the $100 dollars for one of the "new" ones. And, wooden dollhouses just scream durable to me, and the cute paint job was too much to resist.
So, with the sale price my prize was only going to cost me $10!! Definitely worth standing in line. At least, that is what I kept telling myself as my three kids whined, and my overly bored brother tried very hard to be nonchalant. My one-year-old was not feeling great, and as we hit the ten minute mark in line, he started to really have a melt-down. He was laying on that really, super dirty floor, and just whimpering (thank goodness no screaming!!!). He wanted me to hold him, but he didn't want me to hold him. He kept getting mad at his older brother for looking at him, and even my brother for trying to cheer him up. By fifteen minutes in line, we were all ready to pull our hair out!
They quickly rang up our purchase, and my four-year-old insisted on paying them (with my money of course). But before the employee could take our money, the sweet woman in line behind us reached out and stopped him.
She patiently explained that she was doing a "pay it forward" and wanted to pay for my purchase. I couldn't refuse her, because she was so intent on it. I also knew that if I let her do this for me, that she would be filled with warmth at the memory of her service, and perhaps it would motivate her to serve again.
After she paid for my purchase, her husband politely opened the door for me so that I could corral my three little ones out the door. I thanked them over and over again. It wasn't the ten dollars to me, it was the fact that a perfect stranger would do kindness for another.
The rest of the day I wondered about what had happened. My family did the same thing. My kids kept talking about it, and no one mentioned how hard it was to stand in line any longer. I couldn't help wonder if that woman was really doing a pay it forward. Or did she see a tired young mother, and three unhappy children (one especially), waiting and waiting and waiting, and her heart went out to us?
The next day I brought treats to some of my neighbors, and told myself it was in returning the service that had been given to me. But, I think that this woman's service was far greater than that. She saw a need, and acted in way to lighten another's burden. I don't think I will ever be able to look at that dollhouse without seeing that woman's sweet face in my mind. She taught us all a lesson, and I will be forever grateful that my children were there to witness it. Her small act of kindness has meant more to me than the money I would have paid.
Of course, I had to find something on such a busy day. The idea of standing in line was too much to resist. Not! But, the finding something was true. I found this cute wooden dollhouse for barbies. My daughter's birthday is in a few weeks, and I hadn't been able to convince myself to pay the $100 dollars for one of the "new" ones. And, wooden dollhouses just scream durable to me, and the cute paint job was too much to resist.
So, with the sale price my prize was only going to cost me $10!! Definitely worth standing in line. At least, that is what I kept telling myself as my three kids whined, and my overly bored brother tried very hard to be nonchalant. My one-year-old was not feeling great, and as we hit the ten minute mark in line, he started to really have a melt-down. He was laying on that really, super dirty floor, and just whimpering (thank goodness no screaming!!!). He wanted me to hold him, but he didn't want me to hold him. He kept getting mad at his older brother for looking at him, and even my brother for trying to cheer him up. By fifteen minutes in line, we were all ready to pull our hair out!
They quickly rang up our purchase, and my four-year-old insisted on paying them (with my money of course). But before the employee could take our money, the sweet woman in line behind us reached out and stopped him.
She patiently explained that she was doing a "pay it forward" and wanted to pay for my purchase. I couldn't refuse her, because she was so intent on it. I also knew that if I let her do this for me, that she would be filled with warmth at the memory of her service, and perhaps it would motivate her to serve again.
After she paid for my purchase, her husband politely opened the door for me so that I could corral my three little ones out the door. I thanked them over and over again. It wasn't the ten dollars to me, it was the fact that a perfect stranger would do kindness for another.
The rest of the day I wondered about what had happened. My family did the same thing. My kids kept talking about it, and no one mentioned how hard it was to stand in line any longer. I couldn't help wonder if that woman was really doing a pay it forward. Or did she see a tired young mother, and three unhappy children (one especially), waiting and waiting and waiting, and her heart went out to us?
The next day I brought treats to some of my neighbors, and told myself it was in returning the service that had been given to me. But, I think that this woman's service was far greater than that. She saw a need, and acted in way to lighten another's burden. I don't think I will ever be able to look at that dollhouse without seeing that woman's sweet face in my mind. She taught us all a lesson, and I will be forever grateful that my children were there to witness it. Her small act of kindness has meant more to me than the money I would have paid.
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