Arriving to the Starbucks drive-thru window, I was shocked to learn that someone had paid for my Venti Vanilla Rooibos Hot Tea, no sugar, no cream, double cupped.
I didn’t know how to react. A capitalist, I first thought, “Why would someone do this? Why would someone throw away their hard-earned money on a stranger?”
Even Baby Gwendolyn would have been confused. But then I felt so good. Like sunshine! Someone had done a good deed. Participating in Pay it Forward, they effectively put me into a super mood. And today, I too, shall pay for someone’s coffee.
How will you Pay it Forward?
© Nicole Marie Story Enterprises, LLC and nicoleandgwendolyn.com, 2011 – 2013.
This always gets me all confused as well – someone paying for me, or gifting me with no reason, or sending flowers (and it’s not my bf) Even more – that scares me! I’m very shy, I’m an introvert, I don’t have lots of friends. I don’t even consider myself nice; so this extra attention feels unnatural to me.
I’d kill for some vanilla tea at the moment! For sure, I’d kill!!
And that’s an awesome link! I’m definitely participating! Thank you!
We are so very similar! I, too, have very few friends; and the closest ones don’t even gift me with non gift card pressies anymore because they get mad when I exchange/donate/sell on ebay. Lol! But recently, I’ve made some very good friends in clients, and they’ve gifted me with wine, pug adorned classy umbrellas, fashion magazines, parisian stickers, books, a cup of hot tea after I’ve walked their dogs in the cold, etcetera. Thoughtful, small gifts are what I love. And a man has never gifted me with flowers. :)
Oh, your clients are truly nice and thoughtful people. Well, they have dogs; I can’t imagine them being otherwise.
And if you weren’t gifted flowers by a man, this means only one – you don’t like them. The flowers, not the men!
I like violets and dandelions. A man who gifts me with that is the man of my heart!
I guess someone should be taking notes. :))
Violets are amazing!
I love this!!Its the small things that makes me so happy, and it remindes me to do good things to others too.
Yesterday I bought a hot chocolate (with soy milk, haha) to a homeless man that I always pass on my daily walks. I dont give him things every day, but once a week or so. And he is always so grateful, and remember me even when I dont bring him anything. Pluss, I get the chance to sneak in some vegan stuff into his (not som good, I guess) diet ;)
Have a lovely day Nicole!
Wowsa, Ragnhild. Has your raw vegan diet made you into a kinder person? Or have you always been this way? I am privileged that you are reading here.
Aaah, THANK you Nicole! You are so so sweet, you know that!?!
I do think that becoming vegan makes us more aware about all livings, both animals and humans. And just by being vegan, or mostly vegan, we are pretty kind to the world anyways :)
Agreed.
:)
I love this post so very, very much.
I was going to a benefit concert about 15 years ago, a benefit for a local college radio station (they needed a new tower), and there was no official cover charge to get into the concert but a “donation” of $5/person was asked. I had a $20 in hand, and said, “I’ll pay for mine and the next 3 people in line behind me.” Those who got in free were so appreciative that they each gave me a beer (it was a BYOB concert). I mainly did it because the guy was having trouble finding change for my $20, but I thought it was a nice gesture because many of the people in line were broke students : )
Seeing people do random “nice things” these days is rare, so I’m always so happy when I see it in action, or when I can do something nice, even if it’s just a smile at someone who looks grumpy. We don’t realize how small gestures can make someone’s day! : )
I bet your tea tasted even better today!
Poor Cassy. She had to go back 15 years to recall the last time she did something nice.
Hi, Porker! Apparently you missed the question as presented at my article’s ending. Or did I really ask, ‘When was the last time that you did something nice?” Please, help me to interpret my own writing! Thank you! ;)
@Cassy, OMG you just made MY day with your story. I moderated it earlier, savouring the read for later because I knew it would be beautiful; and I was right! Love. Was fund raiser successful? :)
It was successful! The university radio
station was able to buy a new tower (previous tower was damaged in
a hurricane), and they are still playing amazing new music
today!
That is fabulous!!!
PS: I know the huge expense of those towers because I once designed a video surveillance and access control system for one. Off the hook. And dangerous! Yay for radio! :D
Once upon a time I decided I was going to force myself out of my comfort zone and went on a week long camping trip in the middle of a remote, harsh, but desolate environment with thousands of other people and what they brought with them and not much else. No animals, no permanent structures, .not even any plants. As someone who deeply values their alone time, I, at times, thought I was doing one of the most insane things I personally could do. But when I got there, I was surrounded by the type of passion and energy that causes people to participate in things like pay-it-forward and gifts for both people you know and people you will never seen again is just part of the way things work. As someone who normally feels somewhat negatively about the human population in general, it was definitely a mind altering experience.
Coming back to “normal” life afterward was truly rough – more difficult for me than getting comfortable in the alternative universe I temporarily inhabited. Although there were some aspects of the situation that are not sustainable long term, it did cause me to rethink many aspects of how life is generally lived in the U.S. today.
Reading about your experience has just floored me, M. Identifying so much with your thoughts on human beings, I am intrigued by this world of peace that you describe. Even after my reciprocation of Pay it Forward which happened yesterday, I have been rationalising in my head on why the $4.01 that I spent was wasted away on someone who didn’t need it / someone bad / a socialist / a non dog lover / etcetera… my mind trailed everywhere after making that purchase. But your comment has just lassoed me back to ground zero. Thank you.
This is wonderful. I have wanted to do this for a while now, but am so damn cheap. I need to just stop worrying the bill behind me will be $400 and just pay for the damn coffee!
Ha ha ha! Laughing so hard! Although the man behind me was alone, I secretly hoped that he wouldn’t be purchasing coffee for his entire office! / several bags of nuts / oatmeal. LOL. I got away with a $4.01 skinny vanilla latte. The skinny part made me happy. ;) xo
I’m slipping a $10 bill into the pocket of some jeans I’m taking to the thrift today.
I just hope whoever buys them checks the pockets before they launder!
Oh how absolutely positively lovely!
@Bea, that is so awesome : )
My issue with the whole “pay it forward” movement is it’s all about the “payer” and not the recipient.
When one does some thing “selfless” only to post about it, tell his/her friends and expect accolades it’s no longer a selfless action. I know that’s not what you asked but there you have it.
The “pay it forward” movement was once about anonymity, now it’s just another Facebook status.
I would think you, of all people, would recognize it as a way to enable the looters. Shouldn’t that man be buying his own latte? And sugar-free, no less.
Did you miss where I wrote “skinny?” Looter enablement is donating food to a soup kitchen.
You go girl! Take a stand against the homeless! They don’t even have to take spinning classes to get gloriously skinny, they just starve. How lazy!!!
Lol!!! Made me laugh. but remember: There is no stand against that which does not matter to me.
It sounds a lovely idea!x
I cannot wait to hear of how you pay it forward. You are so lovely! xo