Do you ever Pay it Forward

[Guest]

We had an extra fairly new fridge and lawnmower after moving. My DIL told me of a young single mom of 2 who was moving into a house , she just bought for herself. We gave her the fridge the lawnmower and some garden tools. She was incredulous that it was free , no strings just f-r-e-e. When we said it was a pay it forward thing she almost started to cry , she got it. I can't tell you how good it made us feel to make her so happy. It really warms the heart.
I really enjoy things like that or letting someone go in line ahead of me if they only have a couple of things. the look on their faces , it simply amazes them. Unfortunately what should be the norm is anything but, these days, everyone is out for themselves . Sad really.

Kitn

 

[ChrissyB]

I try to as much as I can Kitn.
My latest, and so very minor compared to you giving away a fridge and lawnmower, but there is a mum at our local school who has four really small children, three still in nappies, and the eldest in kindergarten. I had two full boxes of nappies from when my littlest was in nappies, that have just been sitting for the last six months, so I took them for her. The look on her face was amazing, she said "wow, this will save me so much money over the next few weeks". She said "you have effectively just given me a hundred dollars!". In this day and age it's nice to be able to give something to someone that you have no use for, but they can use!
I asked her if she would like any other bits and pieces that I have no use for (baby items) she said she would love them!
It's a nice feeling!
But I wouldn't give away my soap stuff in a heartbeat, I'd give away one of my children first! (JJ) Sort of

 

[Guest]

Paying it forward has kept me sane and stable...I feel as though I have to do it because I consider myself god's spoiled child. When I look back on my life God has just about granted my every wish. My struggle is helping each of my children to be as appreciative. My kids look on all I've acquires as if "I" achieved this but every month I maintain is a miracle.

So far I house, as of today, two neighbors who have recently become homeless. I give business advice freely. On the small street where I started we have two other licensed daycares...one was opened by a former employee of mine, the other daycare operator is one of the board of directors on my daycare nonprofit. When people are shocked I'll help them open a daycare in the vicinity of my own, I always say...one chinese food store don't stop the other from opening down the block...(we actually have a chinese food store at each end of the block :shock: )

There is gold in the ghetto! I love to spread it around 8)

 

[Dixie]

This is so very very sad to me. Your right kitn people are amazed when someone is nice to them. We've come a long way from the days of borrowing a cup of sugar from our neighbor haven't we? and that is so sad!

 

[heartsong]

x

i came into a rest are last night around 2am. about 40 miles east of houston on I-10. there were 3 blue haired little ol' gals sitting in their car with a flat rear tire.

they were nervous when i approached. she barely cracked her window. she didn't have cell phone coverage and they were too nervous to get out of the car to call.

i asked her to pop the trunk from the inside and changed her tire for her.
i put the jack back in the trunk and just barely got the trunk shut when they shot out of there without even a thanks.

no big deal, but i was thinking after that that i hope i never get so old and scared that i forget how to "live life".

people are funny, sometimes!

 

[topcat]

You said it monet! Imagine how they live their lives every day, so frightened and suspicious of others. That is really sad.

I was brought up in a large loving family. We never had a lot, but always just enough. When I was a teen and couldn't have the latest jacket or bag that 'everyone else' I knew had, I felt hard-done-by....but there was always enough food and warm clothes for us all. Yet my parents would always help out others without batting an eye. We had one neighbour who was a cronic borrower....us kids used to say to Mum "she 'borrows' half her groceries from you each week!". We didn't understand that this neighbour and her husband drank and gambled their own grocery money away every week. Mum was looking out for their kids.

I will always do what I can when I can for others who just cannot....'do unto others' is how our world really does work.

Tanya

 

[Guest]

Re: x

i came into a rest are last night around 2am. about 40 miles east of houston on I-10. there were 3 blue haired little ol' gals sitting in their car with a flat rear tire.

they were nervous when i approached. she barely cracked her window. she didn't have cell phone coverage and they were too nervous to get out of the car to call.

i asked her to pop the trunk from the inside and changed her tire for her.
i put the jack back in the trunk and just barely got the trunk shut when they shot out of there without even a thanks.

no big deal, but i was thinking after that that i hope i never get so old and scared that i forget how to "live life".

people are funny, sometimes!

I think the older and weaker you get, the more afraid you get.

From my 20's to my 30's I had very little fear of the young toughs in the neighborhood, but now as I reach 50, even I clutch my pocketbook a whole lot tighter. I was on South Street (Philly's trendie area) and two little African American girls about 10 and 7 were standing on the corner alone trying to use a pay phone. They asked me and my daughter if they could use our cell phone to call their mother. We did immediately stop to attend to their needs BUT...I remembered years ago there were small children who would hustle people for car-fare saying they had become separated from a school group and needed to get home.

As a teen I got hustled by a kid and we chased him down after he got school tokens from us...and we later saw them begging from others later. We got our school tokens back and dragged the kids over to a police officer.

So when these girls asked for the cell phone, I was poised to grab them if they tried to run with my cell phone. I felt really really guilty that the thought even crossed my mind...but thats life in the city. They used the phone and went on about their business. I just thought it was odd two girls that young, separated from mom without a means to contact her.