Friday, February 19, 2010

Feel Good Friday: Paying It Forward

Not so long ago, I remember a story on the news about this restaurant that had a patron pick up the check (and tip) for another table.  The people at the table were so touched, that they decided to return the favor and do the same for another table.  This trend continued for several hours.  I really can't do the story justice, so please check out the link to get the full impact.

Several years ago, when I was with a bunch of young women on a SWE (Society of Women Engineers) sponsored Ulternative Spring Break Trip (a service-oriented spring break) to Florida, we did something that the first patron did.  We were at a drive through fast food restaurant, and for whatever reason, we irritated  the people in the car behind us (think along the lines of driving too slow, etc.).  Instead of getting upset about being honked at, we decided that we would be nice and pick up their tab.  We paid for their check and took off without checking out their reaction.  We were all giddy when we left, and maybe, just maybe, they decided to pay it forward.

Another instance of paying it forward, that I did, happened while I was doing a co-op at Community College of Philadelphia.  It was my lunch break, and I decided to take a walk to the Wawa down the street and get my lunch there.  On my way, I found some change on the sidewalk (about 60 cents in different denominations).  I picked it up and put it in my pocket.  There were parking meters on the next block, so I scoped out the meters looking for those whose time were about to expire.  Someone inadvertently gave me the money, so I payed it forward by inserting some change into as many meters as I could with the 60 cents.  With any luck, those people would return the favor for someone else.

Do you have a story about paying it forward?  If so, I'd love to hear about it!   

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