Have you ever wanted to do something nice for someone? Make their day? Have you ever thought of doing a random act of kindness? Paying it forward? Yesterday morning, while getting my morning ‘Cup of Joe,’ I decided it was time to pay it forward.
While turning into Starbucks parking lot, with thoughts of paying it forward, a Chevy Avalanche chose to cut me off. My first knee jerk reaction was, “You Jerk!” Then another voice steps in, “I guess he was in a hurry for his cup of coffee. Too bad, because I would have bought his morning coffee.” Had he not cut me off, he would have been right behind me, making him the recipient of paying it forward or in this case ‘paying it backwards.’ His loss; the person in the SUV behind me…their gain!
I ordered as usual and anticipated the random act of kindness. “Quad Venti, Two pump, White Chocolate Mocha, non-fat, no-whip please!”
As I ordered my morning pick-me-up, I wondered where this man was off to in such a hurry. Was he on his way to work? Did he think he was the king of the road? Funny how we begin to fill in the blanks, judging others by the automobiles they drive. I was way off from my assumption of him being a professional athlete. Judging by the large vehicle, the professional sport logos, tinted windows and the major college logo on his license plates, I thought for sure he was a pro ball player…he wasn’t. He was indeed in a hurry to get to work and was not fully in the moment of friendly driving.
When I approached the checkout window, the surprise was on me. The Barista asked me to ‘hold on.’ When she returned she explained, “your coffee has been paid for. The guy in front of you paid for it. When we asked if it was a random act of kindness, he replied No, I think I cut him off. Please extend my apologies.” Huh?! The person about to commit a random act of kindness, just got served a random act?! Who cool is that?!
When I explained to the Barista my plan for the morning and the irony of this gesture, we both chuckled as the person I would have bought a coffee for, bought one for me. Nevertheless, I asked her to keep it going and still chuckling she complied.
The moral of the story is this…people may cut you off…stay on task. Whatever the goal of the day, do not let others sway you from having a good day. In the end, you will be happier and the mundane will not seem so mundane. Who knows…you might be pleasantly surprised as to how things work out.
Stepping into the Canvas ‘Paying it Backwards.’ As we step out today, may we practice random acts of kindness. Whether it be paying it forward or, while at your favorite coffee shop, ‘pay it backwards.’ In the end you will have made someones day, you will feel better and the domino effect can go on for eternity…
