We love nothing more than hearing positive and inspirational stories – the one below comes from the delightful Carole Robinson …
Carole writes:
Have you ever queued behind someone who doesn’t quite have enough money for their basket items? I have – more times than I’d like to admit. My heart goes out to those who can’t afford the basics, and I feel their embarrassment and shame as they realise they can’t pay.
Whenever possible, I have paid the shortfall for them. Their reaction has always been one of disbelief that a stranger is willing to help them. I love how something so small can make a huge difference.
Recently while having lunch in a pub with my partner, we sat next to a lady of similar age who was on her own. I acknowledged her with a smile – which she returned – but there was a sadness in her eyes that was very evident, and I wondered why she was eating here alone.
As Bill and I talked over lunch, we laughed at one of our in-jokes. The lady smiled at us, but her eyes welled up, and she took herself to the ladies. I wondered aloud to Bill if she’d been recently bereaved – he replied, “How on earth do you come up with these things?”
When paying our bill, I asked the girl behind the bar if she knew the lady – which she did. Apparently, she used to visit with her partner every week for lunch, but he had indeed recently died, as I’d guessed. On the suggestion of the bar staff, she had continued to go for lunch every week on her own, but it was clear she wasn’t coping well with her loss.
I asked the girl to put her lunch on our bill and give her a hug from me, in the hope that it would brighten the lady’s day a little. I never saw her reaction, but I hope a little kindness lifted her spirits just a bit at a time when she needed it most.
The moral of my story is that it isn’t hard for any of us to pay it forward in our daily lives if we can afford to. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more of us did these little acts whenever possible? Whether it’s giving our trolley coin to the ‘Big Issue’ seller, taking a lonely neighbour a cake or magazine… It doesn’t even have to cost – just drop by and say hello.
A little kindness goes a very long way.
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We found Carole’s story really inspiring – and even though she wasn’t there to witness the impact of her act of kindness, I’m sure we can all imagine just how ‘cared for’ the woman would have felt in that moment.
These little acts change the world, one at a time, and this story illustrates so beautifully how Money – when teamed up with kindness – can be a force for good!
So… how about you? Do you have any stories and experiences of Paying it Forward? We’d love to hear from you if you’ve been the recipient of a ‘Pay it Forward’ moment, and would love to know how it made you feel? Or, are you a ‘fly-under-the-radar’ type ‘Angel’ who brightens people’s day with random acts of kindness? We’d love to hear your stories too!
Drop us a comment below.
xx
Photo credit!
We also want to say a huge thanks to thevibrantmachine for allowing us to use the beautiful photo to accompany this piece.
#payitforward #kindness #randomactsofkindness #enlightenedmoney #changingtheworld
