Pay It Forward

Last night, I gave a homeless man $3.00.

Now, I am typically not the kind of girl to hand out money to someone who is on the street looking for some extra change.

However, Last night was seemingly different.

I was meeting a friend in the city close to where I live, and was waiting out the rain just a few feet away from the metro station I had just came out of.  I had noticed the man standing there as hundreds of people rushed in and out of the station, either ignoring him or shaking their heads at his request for change.

I had witnessed something that was really heart breaking for me.

I watched other human beings disregard another human being, over, and over, and over again.

Not that I was any better, I was standing right next to him and didn't say one word.  However, I knew that I had a few dollars in my wallet, and I knew that giving those dollars away would benefit someone more than keeping them for cab fare or for my dinner that I could easily afford.

So I decided to give him my change.  And I put my shoulder on his, and told him to have a good night.  I couldn't help but notice his shirt was soaked from the rain, and how cold he must have been.

I hope that my spare change could have made a difference in his night.

But, an interesting thing happened as I was heading back home.

I had to take a taxi, because the bus had stopped running after midnight. The taxi driver was incredibly friendly, and we got into a philosophical conversation about happiness and the meaning of life.

And you know what he did?

When he dropped me off, he let me have the cab fare for free.

I begged him not too, that I had money to pay for my ride back.  But he insisted, and I couldn't help but think about how in our lives, looking out for each other is what we are supposed to do.

The kindness that I experienced from the cab driver, and the gratefulness that the man had when I gave him my spare change was what made my day.

So, pay it forward.  It is worth more than just getting home as fast as possible, or worrying about your next promotion.

Until Next Time.

Mcfly <3