Paying it forward
A strikingly white and purple color-sploshed orchid standing regally in the shopping trolley ahead of me caught my eye. I commented that it could well be considered the Dalmatian of its species. The purchaser agreed and said she thought at $17 it was also very good value. I admire orchids but don’t seem to have a great knack for keeping them healthy and above all, alive. “Best to ignore them,” the woman responded, “that seems to do the trick.” “Well, I said, it’s certainly beautiful.”
Emptying her trolley and paying up , the woman asked if I would like it. I assured her I didn’t have endangered plants on my shopping list and she should buy it and not give it a second thought. I had a cabbage and ears of corn for my chickens, fruit and wine for me – I was all set.
As I was about to pay for my purchases, the woman suddenly turned round from the exit. Into my trolley went the orchid she had just bought. She knew I had liked it , she said, and well, she just wanted me to have it. It caught me off guard and I told her that was kind and she didn’t need to do that. No, it’s yours, she said, and left. I smiled, thanked her, paid up and strode out with the orchid leading the way, gently waving it’s sploshy flowery head. The whole episode delighted me – not just because I’d received a very lovely orchid as a gift, but the sentiment and thinking behind it made me feel special.
Who knows what prompted my beneficiary’s generous gesture? Was my response to the orchid so enthusiastic she secretly felt I would have bought it if she hadn’t seen it first? I looked a bit scruffy as I’d been working around the garden and chicken coop, so perhaps she thought I couldn’t afford an orchid. Or perhaps something prompted her to pass on a gift of beauty to someone she felt would appreciate it. I was certainly thrilled to take the plant home with me and I hope she felt good about making the random unexpected gesture. It was a reminder of how powerful it is to pay it forward. There is something very satisfying in giving an unexpected gift to a stranger with no thought of payback. The whole episode made my heart sing,
On the way home, I stopped at the Black Rock Coffee Bar drive through, a local operation with a young, friendly staff. It’s my usual go-to place on Saturday after the dogs and I have been for a local hike. At the window, I gave the cashier some extra cash and asked to have that put that towards the bill for the young couple behind me. I was gone before they paid but I hope they were surprised and pleased that some random stranger had given them the gift of the unexpected on a grey and rainy day. I hope it helped make their hearts sing!
In an increasingly fractured world, these small acts of kindness stand out as beacons of light. What makes your heart sing and how have you experienced paying it forward? If you have a story to share, I would love to hear from you.
