I was recently the recipient of a random act of kindness, and I want to thank the stranger who helped me.
I’d driven to the grocery store during my lunch break to pick up last-minute needs on a frantic Friday before leaving on vacation. It wasn’t until the cashier rang up my items that I realized I’d left my wallet on my desk. I could picture it sitting next to my keyboard as I tried to figure out how I was going to finish my errands and return to work on time. I still had to go to the Post Office to stop mail delivery before I had to teach, and the Post Office closed before class ended. Damn!
“Can I leave my groceries here until I can come back?” That wouldn’t be until five. I was calculating what tasks I’d have to rearrange to run this sixteen-mile errand again.
The cashier nodded.
The woman behind me was already unpacking her cart onto the conveyor. “I’ll pay it,” she said, nodding at my purchases.
“I can’t let you do that!” I said. While the items were insignificant in the great scheme of things – ground coffee, dog food, and a lunch I no longer had time to eat – the price tag was more than chump change. “Please let me know how to pay you back.” I fumbled in my purse for a pen.
Whatever she said in reply was muffled by her mask.
“I didn’t hear you,” I said.
“Pay it forward,” she said. She turned to the cashier and waved her hand over the combined items. “Just add it all together,” she instructed.
“Can you at least tell me who I’m indebted to?”
“Cindy.”
“Thank you, Cindy.”
Stunned by the kindness of this masked stranger, I went on with my workday. As soon as class ended, I wrote a check to the local food bank, along with this story.
Thank you, Cindy. You turned my forgetfulness into a blessing.
I like the pay it forward remark. Recently I pulled in to get gas. The man who pumps (this is NJ we don’t pump our own gas) was arguing with a very young girl in the next car over. Seems she had him put gas in the car and then wanted to pay by card. That’s not how it works-you give the card first and then they pump. As they argued I asked her how much she owed. She said $5. I told her be glad I was old and carried cash and paid the man for her. She also wanted to pay me back-and I told her to just pay it forward. The world needs more kindness and understanding.
Nice story; nice to hear from you!
What an awesome and inspiring story. Cindy is an angel. Thank you for sharing. I am Carol Vandertuin’s little sister and I read your blog.
Thanks for being a reader and commenting. Hi to Carol!
I hope this makes it way back to your Cindy. I have a sister-in-law named Cindy and she is the kindest person I know. And thank you for paying it forward to the Food Bank.
Good name! The money went to the Townshend Community Food Shelf, which does an awesome job getting food to people who need it in the West River Valley.
I have Google Pay on my Android based phone (Pixel 3). If you have an iPhone, Apple pay will do the same. Tap the card swiping thingie and it does the transactions. I have to be in NYC at the end of August and used it for all my cab transactions. Touchless operation, too.
If I’d had a way to pay, I wouldn’t have this story to tell.
People can surprise us so often with generosity and grace!
Ain’t that the truth!
So many times I have had the opportunity to be the giver of an act of kindness and held back. I will remember your experience and try to be kinder, to pay it all a bit more forward. You know, a trickle becomes a brook, becomes a stream, then a river. I can do that.
Jim, We do what we can; we can always do more. You do a lot, and I probably don’t even know the half of it.