Paying It Forward

[LaneyDoll]

Originally Posted by ScandalAndy

tonight, as i was standing in the concession line at the movies, the older couple in front of me turned around and handed me their free popcorn voucher.

i settled for thanking them profusely, even though i really wanted to hug them. the only reason i got to go to the movies tonight is because my friend had free passes and invited me along.

Originally Posted by sierragirrl

funny i ran into this thread.i have just set it up with a friend of mine who is raising her grandaughter to purchase a bike for the granddaughter next month. She is at the age where girls start to be mean to other girls and has lost alot of her "friends".she suffers from low self esteem.her mother is a recovering drug addict and is raising another child but not this one.She really is a good seed and shoot a bike = excersize so thats a plus.
i will be dropping off the bike when she is not around,i want her to know there are people out there who love her.

Things like this are paying it forward. Good deeds, often done without recognition and for random reasons. A lot of times, these deeds are small, do not involve a lot of money and benefit chance strangers. I am not saying that donating to charity etc is not paying it forward but the basic idea is to do things randomly, as the opportunity presents, for people you do not know or barely know.

From the internet:
~Steps
1. Be attentive wherever you are for opportunities to help someone. Perhaps you have an elderly or disabled neighbor who is too proud to ask for help with their yard work or maybe you're in a restaurant and see someone who looks like they could use some kind stranger to pay for their meal. You can change people's attitudes about the world through your unobtrusive acts of kindness.

2. Do something nice for someone you don't know (or don't know very well). It should be something significant, and not for a person from whom you expect a good deed -- or anything at all, for that matter -- in return.

3. Spread the word. If the person thanks you and wants to "repay" you (that is, pay it "back"), let them know that what you'd really like is for them to pay it "forward" -- you'd like them to do something nice for three people they don't know, and ask those three people to do something nice for three more people. The idea is to consciously increase the goodness of the world.4Pay it forward. When you notice that somebody has done something nice for you, make a note in your mind to practice three acts of kindness towards other people, as described in Step 3.

~Tips:
*The "pay it forward" concept was popularized with the book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which was later made into a movie with the same title.
*Even small acts, such as paying the bridge toll for the car behind you when you pay for your own, counts. If it makes the world a friendlier place, you succeeded!
*Practicing the "pay it forward" principle will make you alert to unexpected kindness from strangers toward you, and you may find yourself becoming more grateful for everyday kindness and consideration from people you don't even know.