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ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
I watched Pay It Foward quite a while ago and I have found that it has completly changed the way I live my life...
About 3 months ago I was getting off a bus in a Brissie south suburb at about 11 at night...It was quite chilly and there was a girl in a small sparkly dress and high heels looking around like she was completly disorientated...I called out to her and asked if she was ok to which she replyed "where am I?"
I was all like 'uhoh'..
I asked her what her name was, to which she couldnt remember and I asked her where she had been because she was very dressed up and she replied that she remembered that she had been at the horse races and had drank wine but that was all she remembered...
I thought 'oh no shes been rowied' (rohypnol) (sp)
All of a sudden a guy pulled up in a taxi and said "which one of you called me?"
I had a terrible feeling for the poor girl so I told her I would take her home and sent the cabbie on his way...
Problem...she couldnt remember where she lived!!!
So I asked if she had a mobile and rang the home number on it...grabbed hte address off her father and drove her home...she was very groggy by the time I got her home and I was just really thankful that I could help her...Her father wanted to repay me for gas but I was like "no way..I would just like if you pay it foward"...and he had seen the movie and smiled the BIGGEST SMILE i had seen...so that was my reward...
For those of you who havent seen the movie the concept of Pay it foward is that you must choose three people and help them.. it cant be something easy like giving someone 40 cents to use the phone..It has to be a selfless act to help someone....those people in turn have to help three people and those people have to help three people and so on and so forth...It is an excercise in love and Faith...and I for one will be living this way for the rest of my days...We may not think that we are able to change the world as we know it...but it is definatly worth a shot....
Love to you all

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
Well I was thinking that as soon as I've told everyone I know to read the book and lent the book to those who have the patience to jump on the waiting list. It should be a rule that you have to give the book to someone, on condition that they have to give the book to someone else and spread the word and so it begins.

Or maybe poi can change the world considering HOP people are the nicest in the world.

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


Cagemember
174 posts
Location: St. Paul, MN USA


Posted:
So I finished reading the book a few days ago. After I managed to use up all the tissue in the house, I sat for over an hour just reflecting back on its most simplistic but virtuous meaning. I've been contemplating it ever since and telling everyone I know about it. I have yet to decide what my first act should be but I'm sure that it will present itself in time. This book was so brilliant, thank you for sharing it with us Valura! I think it has made a permanent change in my walk through life.

cage

Without further guilding the lily and with no more ado, I bid you farewell and sweet dreams...


Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
I'm so glad you loved it Cage!
Told you that you'd need the tissues....
I want to buy a copy before I go back to college, I'm going to encourage all of the freshers in my block to read it before the year is out....

Before I go, I wanna share something that happened in Sydney last week - it wasnt a pay it forward as such, but it was an awesome gesture in itself!

I was in Sydney visiting friends and it was my very first time on crazy public transport all by myself - which to me, is really daunting!
Anyway, I was racing to catch this bus that was pulling up - I reached into my wallet to get enough change - dropped my wallet and the coins (about $10-15 in gold and silver went rolling EVERYWHERE. I missed the bus and scrambled around on the floor picking up coins like a mad woman and not one person walking past helped me, they just stepped right over the top of me - when I thought I had gotten all that I could I went to stand up and look for the next bus.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder (which to be honest almost gave me a heartattack!), I turned around and this old man who had obviously been homeless for a long time put out his hand and dropped about $8-10 in my hand - I was stunned! I had obviously given up on it by standing up and looking for the next bus, but he had picked up all the coins near him and wanted to return them to me - Unbelievable.
So, I gave him to money back, wished him a happy day, got on the bus and I was in a pretty good mood for the rest of the day!
Just wanted to share that cause I thought he was pretty damn nice....
Rach

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Rach we need to meet. We really do. Your a darling...
I know that this is prolly gunna send Mike Gee into a frenzy of "do not encrouage smoking Valura" But I gave a homeless guy in Brisbane my packet of smokes the other day. He was rummaging the bins and looking for smoke buts and I SO felt for him...so I gave him my smokes and walked away... just before he started to cry and thank me...felt like I had changed someones world. Even though ciggys are bad for you and they are my ONLY unhealthy vice (I dont drink or do drugs) I know what it feels like when your hanging out for one...sooo I gave him my pack.
My motto for this week is "you can always depend on the kindness of strangers"

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
Hey Valura...
Aaawww...sooo sweet! It's amazing the impact of something that what we thought was only a small gesture can do for someone isnt it?

I have seen so many homeless people act SO unselfishly because they know what it's like to not have something and to go without....
A lot of people out there on the streets really do have hearts of gold.

Before I started Uni, I used to work at a drug and alcohol drop in/community centre that was a PROPOSED trial heroine injecting centre - it had all sorts of community support programs from hot lunches to literacy support programs and housing assistance.
We had no problems until the newspapers leaked that we possibly might become a legalised injecting centre - when the news got round, myself and quite a large number of our clients (very very few of them were heroine users) were harrassed as we tried to get in the door - we had eggs thrown at us and people spat on us.
Yet, those people who were SO loudly protesting at the front door about the 'downfall' of their community and such, had NO idea what amazing community spirit was going on behind the walls they were trying to 'tear down'.
The homeless people who visited the staff and the centre each day were some of the most amazing people I have ever met - I spent many hours sitting on the back steps drinking coffee with two old men in particular who had amazing stories - these two men had been living on the streets for almost 20 years each. Unbelievable!
The first man had married his high school sweetheart and she had given birth to two girls - When they had been married for 20 years, his wife died from Breast Cancer. Six months later his oldest daughter was killed in a car accident and then (the final straw for him I guess) his second daughter died five years later from the same illness that had taken his wife. The man became an alcoholic and the typical story of him then losing everything followed - he had no other family to help him and so he became homeless - and has stayed that way ever since.
The second man was the father of a famous novacastrian - a boxer who, along with his family, made a great contribution to Newcastle.
This man too, some where along the way, lost it all and his family.
These two men both received pensions, but both agreed that there was not much point in them moving in a house as they were old and didnt have any material possessions to take with them - instead they slept in the back of the centre or under shop fronts and donated the majority of their pension cheque to buy food for the centre! Each fortnight, the two men would come into the kitchen and cook up soups and freezable meals so that the centre would have food all the time to give to people or families that came in on days when a hot meal wasnt served.
During my last month at the centre, the two men had been staying at a hostel in town during the winter nights so they could have a warm shower and blankets, etc - Sadly, the first of the two men passed away in his sleep on one of my last days - myself and one of the centre's welfare workers drove to the hostel to identify him formally as their was no family to do it. The police who attended to his death treated him as a faceless homeless person and I was devastated. They had absolutely no idea what this man's history was or all of the wonderful things he had done for the centre - all they saw was a homeless person - a public nuisance.

Two days after his death - the Newcastle herald (not knowing the story of his death) printed a photo of the two men taken the previous month, drinking from a metho bottle and sleeping in a bank shopfront. They title above it read 'The Shame Of Newcastle' with a big article about the ignorance of the cities homeless and how it was an embarassment and was hurting the cities tourist dollar!
The centre coordinator wrote a letter to the editor explaining what we at the centre truly saw in the cities homeless, and the contribution many of them make every day without expecting anything in return - amazingly the paper printed a retraction.

I find it amazing what lies under the surface of the smallest things and how some people get so caught up that they refuse to see something good in everyone!
I know that not everything is good, dont get me wrong, but sometimes you just have to look past the crap and find something there.
My friends and I took the time to see that man for what he really was, a kind generous man with a really sad past, not just a bum on the street to be walked over and ignored.
Some of these people have made such sacrifices in their lives and in the past some have been upstanding citizens who were respected and looked up to - but when someone becomes homeless in a city, they seem to become faceless as well. It is such a shame.

Valura, you are so right! Even though cigarrettes or a few dollars may be such a small thing to us, the fact that you gave up something for them that they wanted for, means the world to people like that!

The moral of this (very very long!) story is the age old 'dont judge a book by it's cover'. You may not have money or cigarrettes or whatever to give up to a homeless person or whatever, but often a smile to show that you're not just 'stepping over and ignoring them' will make some difference.

And this works for everyone too by the way! Not just homeless people - little things that are done out of the blue can make a difference to ANYONE.....

Thankyou for listening. I am done ranting now.... hehe

Rach

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
hehe...sorry, bout that previous HUGE post - got a little carried away!

Valura - you're right, we need to meet up and then become like travelling Pay It Forward fairies and spread good wishes and smiles and cigarrettes (sorry Mike Gee ) and spare change allllll round da world! hehe

Seriously though, you live in Brissie? I spend part at least of each holidays in Noosa - so I'll message you next time I'm travelling through.
Alternatively, during Uni terms in Armidale and the rest of the holidays (when I'm not in Noosa) in Newcastle there is always a place for you to visit...!
Rach

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Your story made me bawl my eyes out..So many people overstep the ones that may be sleeping on the sidewalk but, as Faithless sings "So when you climb into your bed after locking and bolting the door, just think of those in the cold night air because there's not enuff love to go round.."
I started working for a charity today...I feel really good about what Im doing...The great thing is that I wont only be helping only one charity...we take turns raising funds for all charities so I will be helping heaps more people... Makes me feel so good inside...
Rach I have sent you a PM sweetie...

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Magickal_Kaleidoscopemember
119 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
yeh helping other people gives u the warm fuzzies.
i gave some money to this guy on the street and i felt really good.

Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
Quick message to say hope everyone has a wonderful week next week (especially all the extra soooper people who have posted on here...!)
I am headed back to college and will be stuck in the bush on a get to know you camp with my other college RA's and wont be near a phone, let alone internet connection...! yuck....
So, hope all you beautiful people have an excellent week...
See ya on the flip side...!
Rach

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
Eek, the real world....catch you on the rebound Rach.

[ 08. February 2003, 04:44: Message edited by: DeepSoulSheep ]

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


tralalamember
20 posts
Location: Essex


Posted:
This thread rocks

There's a quote I like, 'How can anyone love without ever knowing love?' and I think it's true. If you do nice stuff for people it suddenly occurs to them that they can do nice stuff too.

My best friend was coming round mine for dinner and was supposed to bring pudding, she turned up looking sheepish and said 'I'm really sorry, I just gave our chocolate cake to a homeless bloke I passed on the way here'. I like chocolate cake but I liked that better

Reporter to Ghandi: What do you think of western civilisation? Ghandi: I think it would be a very good idea.


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Wow that guy would have had a feast!!! What a great friend you have...
I have been so busy that I havent been able to do many random acts latley...but I had a job interview down at the gold coast and when I was asked what I held true to my heart I told the guy about this and IT GOT ME THE JOB.... I was stoked...so now its time for me to pay it forward...

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Cagemember
174 posts
Location: St. Paul, MN USA


Posted:
Eeek. Okay, so one of my dearest friends has spent the week with me after a very long time of not seeing each other. He has been traveling Europe and Australia for the past 1 1/2 years or so. He happens to be the one who unintentionally introduced me to poi. Well I picked him up at the airport and as we road the People Mover (elevated subway) like a couple of runaways around Detroit we caught up on everything we've missed. Among several topics, we were discussing books and I started to mention Pay It Forward. Before I got it out, he already knew what book I was talking about. I guess someone he met in a hostel was telling him about it. Well, since he never got to read it and I couldn't really give him my library copy of it to borrow on the plane to Perth on Monday, we rented the movie. I must say that it didn't hold a candle to the book but it was still very good. My mother was mad at me for getting her to watch it. She couldn't go grocery shopping after (as planned) because her face was so red from crying.

And in the spirit of Pay It Forward, of the 2 sets of poi we made for his trip down under, he left me one. Of course, I did incure my first burn from this set but I do believe in the magic of "the movement" so I will in turn pay it forward.

shine on,
cage

p.s. If anyone in the Perth area enjoys meeting those of beautiful spirit and mind, let me know and I will be sure to put you in touch with Nate. I do know that he is looking forward to meeting and spinning with some friendly faces.

p.s.s. Does anyone know what the song is that is played at the end of the movie? I loved it. Something about the angels among us.... or sumfin like that....

Without further guilding the lily and with no more ado, I bid you farewell and sweet dreams...


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Im finding that out for yer sweetie
I loved that song too....will update yer

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
hey guys! good to see this thread is still moving!!
I am now back from my RA camp in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!!
I spent a week with a bunch of people bonding and learning to 'work and function as a team'...
We did trust activities, went rock climbing, abseiling, gorge climbing, white water rafting and went on lots of 'challenge days'....
It was ABSOLUTELY incredible and I did SO many things that I didnt think I could ever accomplish!
Oh, and I gave one of the boys in the RA group the very last orange and the last chocolate chip muesli bar in the place cause he was hungry - I spent the last day starving, but it was my nice deed for the week after such a stressful challenging camp....
Anywayz, will have the net hooked up in my room soon, so I will chat to all you beautiful people super soon...!
Adios for now!
Rach

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


thingeymajigmember
43 posts
Location: London


Posted:
I came across the book 2 years after witnessing a great 'pay it forward' experience.

I was on the train going to London and there were 5 other people in the smoking carriage (which is more like a cafe than a normal train carriage).

There were two couples together and a bloke on his own. When the conductor came for our tickets the two couples realised that on the way out the last ticket inspector had stamped their return tickets and not their outbound ones.

The conductor was a real @sshole and wouldn't accept their tickets, he was threatening to throw them off the train unless they bought new ones. The bloke on his own got up immediately, asked how much it would cost and payed £160 pounds (£40 each) for the new tickets.

The two couples were so grateful, and asked him why he'd done it. He replied that he had dropped his wallet in the airport that morning with £700 in it, and it had been returned to lost property with all the money still in it

It was so cool to have been there.

xx

....so does it come with a hat?


Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
That is one very awesome story!!
How nice of that guy to fork out that much money!!
Thankyou for sharing it!
Rach

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Wow thats great to have experienced those vibes!!! Thank you for sharing that with us...

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Cagemember
174 posts
Location: St. Paul, MN USA


Posted:
Wow! Another splendid story indeed! I love hearing about these acts of kindness all over the world!

cheers

Without further guilding the lily and with no more ado, I bid you farewell and sweet dreams...


KatBRONZE Member
Pooh-Bah
2,211 posts
Location: London, Wales (UK)


Posted:
Got this by email and even if stories are fables, there is nothing wrong with been inspired by them


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady. During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school? Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'.

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the rain
One night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to
safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.
Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The
rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's
bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve. In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy
entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked."Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" , he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked
away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of
the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear,
but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts.
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease.
> Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood
to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he
was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Now you have 2 choices.
1. Delete this email, or
2. Forward it to people you care about and might get a little lift from reading it....as I did.
I hope that you will choose No. 2 and remember.
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

NOW more than ever - Peace...Pass It On.....Pay It Forward

- - - - - - - - - -

Come faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.

- W B Yeats


Trippie HippieBRONZE Member
old hand
733 posts
Location: Bewildered state of nothingness, United Kingdom


Posted:
I got to do my first ever 'Pay it forward' on Friday Not that it turned out the way i would have hoped
The story goes like this....

On being made redundant on Friday i left work early *As you do* and started to walk home.
On the way a young lad 15/16 years old came up to me and asked what the best way to walk to Winsford was (about 8 miles away).
I asked him why, he said that he had come for his first day of his new job at a local warehouse and when he arrived, they told him that they didn't need him, When he asked, how was he supposed to get home they replied "Thats your problem, not ours".
He had no money, as he was expecting a lift home after his shift on the works bus.
So i gave him a fiver and walked him to the bus stop and told him how to get home.
He thanked me, i said not to worry, "Just pay it forward".

He came from Winsford, what did i expect, he had no idea what i was saying to him even after 5 minutes of trying to explain. Bloody scousers.
Needless to say, the chain will have stopped there with him!!!! Bloody scousers. But it's nice to 'Try' and help
LOL
Taking it easy
Trippy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last night i met some pixies and we danced around a stone.
High Class Hippy No:1
N.E.W.B. Agent #012
"I Got Soul"
Non-Https Image Link


Trippie Hippie- Monty Dons secret love child

Fly like a mouse, run like a pillow, be the small book case.

"Last night i met some pixies and we danced around a stone".

Because dressing up is fun.


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Hooley dooley this thread is alive again...Trippy, Im sure that even if he didnt quite get what you were on about that he will still get inspired by what you did lil darling and I know that he will be kind to someone very soon....

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Cagemember
174 posts
Location: St. Paul, MN USA


Posted:
I know it's been a while since I had given any consideration to the movement, Pay It Forward, that is. Untill it happened to me a couple nights ago. I recently quit my job with a large advertising firm because I was sick of being lied to and being asked to lie to people. That and I was working 80 hours a week and making less money than ever. Because of the job, I was loosing friends and my family grew very dissapointed with me. So anyways, I was at Denny's (a cheap local restaurant chain) with a friend eating supper around midnight. My cell rang and it was my roommate/best friend from college telling me her bf just proposed. Of course I tried to stifle my scream as I congradualted her and did the whole girly "Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you!". Needless to say half the people in there now know that my friend Jamie is getting married. Well, she lives in Cali but is coming back to Michigan this weekend and wants me to drive the 10 hours to come see her. Seeings as I just quit my crappy job, I'm extremely low on cash. She said she would give me gas money and the likes but I told her I could not accept her money but that I would do whatever it took to get up there. Come hell or high water, I was going to make the trek up to Michigan's Upper Penninsula to see my friend that I haven't seen in a year. Well, a few minutes after we said our goodbyes, the man whering all black & sitting across from us packed up his notebook, and computer he had been hovering over and walked over to our table. "So you're friend's getting married?", he said. I apologized for being so obnoxious and said yes. "And you have to go up north to see her but you just quit your job, right?" I'm like yeah (thinking where is this going?). He pulled out his wallet, flopped down a $20 bill and said to have a good trip as he quickly walked off. Now, I live in Detroit where people who show kindness of any sort are most likely about to rape or mug you so needless to say I was very skeptical. I started to go after him to give the $ back but my friend said no, that he wouldn't have given me the money had he not meant it. So I sat there in disbelief for a few minutes before I realized just what happened. I don't know if that gentleman had read Pay It Forward, but I know that he did a rarely done "random act of kindness". I know that I have to pay it forward now. Now, $20 isn't a lot in today's day and age but I know for sure that some power above wants me to go see Jamie no matter what it takes. I only wish I could thank the guy who restored my faith in the human race.

Thanks for indulging me, I just had to share the story with someone who might appreciate it for what it is.

Have a bohemian day!

~cage

Without further guilding the lily and with no more ado, I bid you farewell and sweet dreams...


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
I like that story. It is easy to tell what we have done and then hope it will inspire someone. Better are the tales of when someone does something for us that leaves us inspired, I think. That really displays the true nature.

For example, an 8 year old story of mine. The situation under which I had my son was less than ideal and when he was born I had nothing. I mean, when I say nothing I mean not a blanket or a diaper, and barely a penny to my name. It was a really intense time for me. I had found this charity that would help me but it was miles across the worst part of the city that I lived in. It was March, damp and cold and it sucked rocks, however, I needed to have things before I could bring Noah home from the hospital, so in a still unhealed state from childbirth I made my way by bus to the charity.
They gave me so much, almost everything I needed really. Formula, clothes, bedding...so much. Three enormous black garbage bags, and they insisted I had to take it that day.
What was I to do? I carried them out of there as best as I could. Oh my god did it hurt. I walked to the nearest bus stop and was denied, because of the size of the bags. So I had about a dollar in my pocket, 3 bags of stuff that I really did need for my baby and no way to get it anywhere. I was freezing and a long way from home. I started to walk home. I was carrying the bags about a block and setting them down to rest before I continued. It took a long while to not get very far, and I was crying by that point.
This man passed by me. I remember he was youngish, not bad looking but kind of spooky in this brown trench he was wearing. He turned around and followed me. He asked what was happening and I very quickly explained. He said that he couldn't give me a ride home because he was late for work at the parrish (come to find out he was a preacher) but for me to hold on. So I stood there, feeling the part of the fool while he vanished. I sat on one of the bags, I remember that. It was weird because I didn't want to stay, I wanted to keep going but it hurt so badly to even try, and I was at my wits end.
He came back with a cup of cocoa for me, a candy bar, handed me twenty dollars andsat with me. A cab showed up he handed the cabbie money, loaded up my bags and told him to help me with them when I got home.
I thanked him profusely. I never even caught his name. What he did so selflessly has stayed with me all these years. It was something that helped to return my faith in humanity when it was really sinking low.
In fact, I can think of many moments in my life when people have effected me as such. I hope that for some people I have done the same, but I can never be sure. It is nice hoping and thinking about it though.

Even a smile though, is contagious.

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Pele... I reckon that angels come when we most need it in disguise of people that we may never have spoken to other wise...
I am making an effort this week to have a pay it forward week...I forgot all about it...

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


pounceSILVER Member
All the neurotic makings of America's lesser known sweetheart
9,831 posts
Location: body in Las Vegas, heart all around the world, USA


Posted:
i just remembered this experience i had a few years ago and it reminded me of this post. so i thought i'd share with you all

a few years ago i was living in london and working at a children's group home. one weekend a friend and i decided to take a trip to france. we went on one of those package deal trips, you know where you pay a set fee and you get hotel, travel, and a guide to take you to all the sites. our tour guide was completely lame, and we ventured off on our own a few times, but all in all it was a good trip. on our ferry ride back, there was a guy there, about my age, who was holding a sign that said "london" on it (i.e. he was hitchhiking and trying to get to london). for some reason, i just really wanted to help him. so i went to my tour director (the crazy bat of a lady) and told her that i ironically just ran into my "stepbrother" who was coming to visit me in london, and could he come on the bus with us? she kinda hemmed and hawed about it, and then said i'd have to pay some money for him to ride. i gladly gave her five pounds to let him ride with us. i told him, and he rode the long bus ride back with us. the whole trip he and i sat and talked, and he told me some of the most amazing stories about his trip. it turned out that he was going to school that summer in england, and he thought he would backpack around europe for a few weeks prior to his start of school. but once he got there, he realized his school started one month later than he thought, so he didn't have enough money to sustain him the whole time. he had been hitchhiking and bumming things off people for the past few weeks, trying to make what little money he had stretch. he was going to london for a few days because a friend of his was there and was going to let him stay with him. i had a bag of coissants (sp?) that i had taken from my hotel, so i gave him the rest of them. and once we got to london i gave him a prepaid calling card that had a little money left on it so that he could call his friend. i never saw him or spoke to him again, but it was the coolest and most fulfilling experience from my trip. i'm sure he will pay it forward

I was always scared with my mother's obsession with the good scissors. It made me wonder if there were evil scissors lurking in the house somewhere.

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

**giggles**


Narr(*) (*) .. for the gnor ;)
2,568 posts
Location: sitting on the step


Posted:
this is weird i only saw pay it forward about week ago!
whenever i see someone that looks alittle unsure i try and help out the best i can.

but just a curiousity do anyone else find that strangers are drawn to them..this doesnt happen all teh time but people seem to always ask me the time were such and such is etc, even if im with a group of people, its me they pick out of the croud. just wondering if it happens to anyone else?

she who sees from up high smiles

Patrick badger king: *they better hope there's never a jihad on stupidity*


DentrassiGOLD Member
ZORT!
3,045 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
ive heard of a different thing, but the same principle called the 'international favour bank'.

you make deposits, you make withdrawal. make sure you do both. ive had some fantastic conversations with hitchhikers and other random people ive met along the way.

take care all

"Here kitty kitty...." - Schroedinger.


ValuraSILVER Member
Mumma Hen
6,391 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
Narr this defiantly happens... the more that you help the more that you glow... the light you give off attracts other people as they sense the kindness eminating off you... nice huh???

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"


Pyro_TechCrazy Nutter stuck in Farmidale...
264 posts
Location: Newcastle, Australia


Posted:
YAY! The Pay It Forward Thread is Back!!

Woohoo!!! hehe

We all take different paths in life, but no matter which path we take, we take a little of each other everywhere...


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