Real Life Pay It Forward
Many of you know that @pifc was born from the Pay It Forward Curation Contest which all started from some real life Paying It Forward. I do little things for others when the opportunity arises. Pay for someones food that is behind me in the drive through, pay for gas for a stranger, give someone some toys to give to their kids for a birthday or xmas when I know they can't afford to do so on their own, give a ride to a stranded motorist (this one my Wife HATES...don't tell her I still do it), buy beer for the guy on the hockey team that can't afford to stick around and drink with us but loves to hang out, and so forth. Little things that might cost me a little time or money that hopefully make someone have a better day.
Last night I ran in ran into a Mom that was juggling 3 little kids including an infant at the store. She was picking up diapers and a few other things when her credit card declined. She tried her next one and warned the cashier she thought it would decline too, sure enough it did.
She tried to figure out with the cash she had what she could purchase vs have to leave behind. She didn't have enough for the one size diapers at all, but could afford the milk, bread, and couple other small food items or the other size diaper. It was easy to see she was very upset and in need of a helping hand. When she turned to her oldest who was complaining he was hungry I could see the tears in her eyes even being 3 people back in line. While the people directly in front of me were grumbling because she was taking to long I steeped into action.
I walked around them up to the front and told the cashier to ring up each item 1 at a time and used up my reward points. Walgreens lets you save up your points but you can only use them $5 at a time. We make sure to take advantage of times with mega bonus points and then just slowly use them up over the course of the year. But instead I used up my points and paid the difference for each purchase in cash. Even sent her back to grab a second pack of each size diapers to make sure she wasn't dealing with this again in a few days. She argued that I was already doing to much, but after a little resistance she gave in and went to get them.
As all this was happening a manager came up and opened the other register getting rid of the annoying rude people. He then came over to see what was taking so long with our transaction. The Mom and kids were off grabbing more diapers at this point, and so the cashier explained everything.
The manager then had someone come up with a very large cart full of stuff. He asked for their rewards card number and they didn't have one. So he took the card that the Mom had been using and put the whole order on her card. They had bonus points going on (which is why I was there) and it gave the Mom another $30 worth of points to use. That gave me the idea to do the same and my order was another $10 in points. So she will now have an extra $40 to spend as she needs it.
He also pointed out that the one size diapers were $12.99 of 2 for $18 so he had the cashier void out the one transaction and get me the lower price.
In all I lost some reward points which are like cash to us and about $28ish in cash. But from talking to the Mom I know that it was well worth it. She started a new job 3 days ago and is just trying to get by until the checks start coming in. I've been in that money juggling act spot before and know that sometimes a little break can make all the difference.
Keep your eyes open
This time of year we tend to be in a major hurry at all times. Trying to get everything done while working around holiday parties, extra shopping for gifts and so forth. Try to take a second as you are out and keep your eyes open for the opportunity to help someone. Small acts of kindness go a long way.
Well done!
$rewarding 80% 15 min
Thank you
Well done buddie
Thank you for you continually service
You are just an awesome guy - you are making the world a better place. Did you ever see this older lady - I think Betty is her name - again?
Sadly I heard she passed away not long ago. But she had stayed active and helping other widows at her church up until the end. Last time I had talked with her the church had turned what she started doing into an official effort and even arranged a special dinner for the group of Widows and Widowers.
She started something that will outlast her in life and her efforts will touch the lives of many.
Oh - may she rest in peace. It is so beautiful that she started something good which lasts and helps others even when she is gone.
lovely, very very lovely. wish there were more people like you. aweeeee. lovely. really heart touching and I am glad you shared this story with us. You probably made that woman's year.
Well the story gets a little better, will be posting an update. Lets just say the kids are having Christmas and all have warm clothes for the winter.
Es un gesto maravilloso, todas las cosas buenas que hacemos por nuestros semejantes, regresan a nosotros dándonos alegría y satisfacción. Dios te lo page, cariños y besos para ti y toda la familia @thedarkhorse
Thank you for your kind words.
That's awesome! Thanks for helping out someone in need. You're one of the good ones. Even though it's not much, have a 100%! :)
Appreciate the support.
👍
You're a good guy @thedarkhorse! You're so right; so many live with their eyes closed, or their eyes only on themselves, that they forget to simply help their fellow man. We often do the same here because things are tough for so many. I'm glad we found each other in this steemit world <3
It's not a hard thing to help others. Seriously I see people hurrying to make sure they don't have to hold a door for someone because they can't take that 3 seconds of time or something. Don't understand it. Just do little things for each other and at the end of the day the world really is a better place. Small things done by many people can have a big effect....this can either be for the good or the bad, there is no neutral ground IMO.
My kids helped a few other people this weekend make 36 cakes for a homeless shelter. They baked Friday night and then decorated on Saturday giving up all their free time for the weekend. They were so excited about this and looked forward to doing it all week. So happy to see they "get it" and even the teenager was completely into it.
I don't understand some people either! It's something that just comes naturally to me too.
Years ago, when the boys were living with us downtown Vancouver, and were teenagers, and thought that they were so hard done by, we made a bunch of sandwiches, picked up a big thing of coffee and went to the Eastside where there's a big homeless population. The boys still talk about how that affected them. It'll stay with your girls too and will be something that they teach their kids. Nice job dad :)
dear horsefriend, your image should be withe, a knight on a white horse love the story and the fact you care, community care, thats why we are friends and i hope we stay that for a long steemit time, a
this is a PIFC example whats needed online too,
and i want to say to others reading this, treat someone like you yourself want to be treated.
Thanks you. If you just think to yourself am I helping be part of the solution or am I being part of the problem as you look at situations you will find yourself doing the right thing. Most people think that by doing nothing they aren't part of the problem, but in reality they are.
It's good to know there are people like you who have their eyes open. There is a lot of need in the world, and sometimes when you have a lot of need you can fall into despair. It's good that there's a hand that helps you get up when that's about to happen.
Sometimes we don't know when the time is right to help prevent someone from falling.
I congratulate you for helping others, it's something we should all consider, there's always something we can do, no matter how small.
A truly generous gesture that speaks of the goodness of your heart, @thedarkhorse. Thank you for sharing this anecdote.