Paying it forward

A few months ago, my Dad said that he was in line at Starbucks when the gentleman in front of him paid for his coffee, too, without him knowing it.  This got me thinking about the concept of paying it forward.  So often we get so bogged down in day-to-day life that we don't look out for those around us.  Who knows if you could do one small thing to make that person's day?  Who knows if they were having a totally crap day before they ran into you, and you did one small gesture of kindness, and it totally turned things around?

I decided to put words into practice on Tuesday.  On break between two mediation sessions, starving and near brain-dead, I went to Qdoba to grab some lunch to go.  I always get my standard naked burrito to cut down on carbs, and apparently it was "free chip day" if you ordered a naked burrito.  I didn't know this, but the man before me apparently didn't understand the gimmick because he asked whether he got free chips, too, when he went to pay for his huge burrito.  When he was told no, he was joking with the cashier, saying "aw man...you can't make this exception just this once?"  So I decided that, since I wasn't planning on eating my chips in my efforts to lose weight that I might as well just give him mine.  So I grabbed him before he walked away and said "you want my chips?  I don't want them." 

The look on that man's face just made my day.  He was so excited and basically hugged me.  Hey, it was the least I could do.  Who knows what kind of day he was having?  Sometimes it's those little things that can make your day. 

So pay it forward, people!  It's the right thing to do!