Paying it forward….or through the drive-in….or ????

Have you ever done an anonymous act that has made you so happy, you feel like you could shoot fully wrapped candy bars out your nose? Yes, it made you that happy?

Once in a while, when I’m not so self absorbed that the only thing I can think about is finding a box of hidden Kraft Mac & Cheese in the pantry, I run across someone somewhere that calls to me. They don’t vocally say anything to me nor do they give me that poor pathetic look. It’s more a spiritual look…you know, the kind where you can read something about them through their eyes. Believe me, I’m not claiming to be a psychic….I so do not believe in those gaudy women who wear more jewelry than all of my ancestors put together. I’m just talking about “that look” that somehow draws you to them.

Hubs and I were on one of our weekend trips when we decided we were hungry. As we drove around, looking for the perfect dinner, we remember Chili’s. We have lots of good memories there, the food is usually decent, and it was easy to get to. As we were eating, I kept watching this lady who I’ll call Ann as she reminded me of my grammy, sitting all by herself, eating a hamburger stacked a mile high with sweet goodness. She’d take a bit and slowly chew, all while looking around at everyone within eyesight.

I’ll be honest….I started to try and figure out her story. I’m pretty sure she was recently widowed. She had that sad look in her eye…the kind where she could have cried had any of us selfish food shovelers dared to take a minute and ask her how she was. It was that kind of look that said she had barely been able to get up and get going that day. That look that she had absolutely no energy to even cook a simple meal for herself. For some reason I was totally drawn to her. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. In fact, at one point, I got teary-eyed watching her. I finally pointed her out to hubs and, after watching a little longer, we decided to buy her dinner anonymously.

When our waitress came to take deliver our food, I whispered to her of our plan but asked her to keep it on the down low. Apparently she has no idea what that means! After Ann was done eating she sat for a while longer still taking in every single sight around her. When she asked for her ticket, the waitress told her it had been taken care of. We were really only about 7 or so feet from her table so we could hear everything. Ann wanted to know who would do that for her after the waitress explained again. I was watching the whole time, although not directly looking as I had chicken strips with a killer honey mustard sauce to devour. Anyway, the dingy waitress then motioned with her eyes to our table….busted! I’ll admit the stinkin’ sauce kept making my eyes water and every time I’d look at Ann, they’d water even more….When she got up to leave, she looked our way and kindly said thank you. It took everything inside me to not jump up and give her a huge hug…one I’d give to my grammy after not seeing her for several months. Yep, it would have been one of “those” hugs…My eyes kept watering, my lip kept quivering, and heart felt incredibly full.

Honestly, I have no idea of her story. I have no idea if our gesture made her feel any better. I have no idea if we overstepped our boundaries. I have no idea….

I do know this. That night, as I was trying to fall asleep, I realized that I need to be more aware. I need to be aware of life past the one-foot barrier I sometimes put around myself. I need to reach out to people and I need to give freely, without any expectations in return. I need to let others feel love like I feel on a daily basis. I need to let people know that someone cares. We never know when that one little act of random kindness could truly save a person, if only for an hour, or help them get through an otherwise unbearable day.

That simple act doesn’t have to be grand. It doesn’t have to be a meal….it could be even a simple act such as letting someone go ahead of you in the grocery line or even a smile and hello. It could be the act of slipping a little sumtin-sumtin in a box at school or wherever you work. It doesn’t have to cost a penny….or it could cost several dollars. It could be anything! The possibilities are endless!

What have you done? Any new ideas? I’m determined to do an act at least once a day….nothing major, nothing to break the bank. Just a little something to make us both feel a bit better about ourselves.

Come on, don't be shy. Let's share our ideas and see what we come up with. Oh, and if you want to do a little act of kindness but don't know who to do it to, let me know. I'll give you my addy, p.o. box, my bank account number and place of employment. I mean, I don't want you to stress about it!

Carry on!