Monday, December 19, 2011

Pay It Forward

Short and sweet today.   Saturday my daughter came home from college for winter break.  We drove through Starbucks to get an eggnog steamer (which, by the way, are delicious).   As I got to the window to pay, the Starbucks guy told me that the car in front of us had paid for our drinks.   I had never been the recipient of anything like this before.  It was . . . great.   After we got over our surprise, my daughter and I looked at each other and then asked the Starbucks guy what the car behind us got, and we paid for them.  It was so much fun!!   And even though we ended up paying a couple dollars more for the car behind us than we would have if we had just paid for ourselves, it was . . . exhilarating!   Seriously!   I know . . . if you're driving through Starbucks, then you can afford to pay for it.    But, still, it was fun.  Next time we may try to help someone who CAN'T afford it (and I'm not talking about Starbucks).    

Pay it forward (or, in our case, backward) . . . all year long!

9 comments:

  1. Great idea and thought, especially the 'all year long' part.

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  2. My daughter had the same experience at Starbucks a few weeks ago. She thought it was so cool. I couldn't' help being silently cynical as I noted her 24 year old beauty and wondered if the guy was hoping for a phone number to come out of the exchange somehow. ..... :)

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  3. haha. My 19 year old daughter is also beautiful, but I saw the lone older woman ahead of us - - I think her motive was pure :)

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  4. As I read this, there's a story on the news about secret Santas who are paying off people's layaways. No better way to celebrate the season!

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  5. It's wonderful that you got to share that with your daughter! (I'm missing mine - she visited us this summer, so I won't see her this Christmas.) Enjoy your girl a little extra for me, will you?

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  6. Jewels - I read about that, too! I can't afford to do amazing things like that, but I can certainly afford to open a door for someone or do some other kind of service. (I wish I COULD help like the secret layaway santas!)

    Paranormalist - I will definitely think of you when I hug my daughter. I'll hug her a little extra hard and long just for you. Glad you got to visit with your daughter this summer :)

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  7. Sigh. We have to travel two hours north to Eureka, or ninety minutes south to Ukiah, to find a Starbucks. Oh, I know. When I go down to visit Sebtown next week, I can make a pilgrimage to the local $tarBucks, and leave said bucks behind. That ought to light someone's star.

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  8. Mark - - my daughter feels your pain . . .she goes to college in a town where there is no Starbucks, so that was one of the first stops we had to make when she got home! And I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't take much to light someone's star - a kind word, opening a door. Sometimes just acknowledging that someone exists is enough :)

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  9. How wonderful! What a surprise, and such a good idea!

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