Friday, April 17, 2009

Random Acts of Kindness


I know, this is a very "random" topic for a coupon blog. But I've been thinking about it lately, and it does fit in. Just bear with me.

Today I was at Fred Meyer with my 3-year-old, Jack. Now, I LOVE Fred Meyer, but don't shop there too much any more because there aren't a whole lot of great deals there. (What they DO have is PLAYLAND!) Anyway, we were leaving and Jack spotted the 25-cent pony ride and begged me to let him ride. I rarely do, but for some reason decided to let him do it today. He climbed up and I was reaching for my change purse when a woman approached me and said, "Let me pay for his ride!" She handed me a quarter and disappeared.

What I loved about this Random Act of Kindness is that it wasn't big, it didn't cost her a lot to do it, but it made my day! Not because it saved me 25 cents. But because someone I don't know, and will never see again, thought to do something kind for my son. Afterwards, I found myself looking for ways to "pay forward" the kindness I had received.

Another example - I can recall at least two incidents when I was in the drive-thru line at Starbucks and someone ahead of me paid for my drink, for absolutely no reason. That type of random kindness changes your perspective. I've tried to do the same thing at Starbucks a couple of times, too, simply because I know how it feels.

What would our city be like if everyone was fortunate enough to experience random kindnesses like I did today? This is why I enjoy using coupons to get free products (even ones I know my family will not use) - because I can pass them on to others who might need them. Because of the recent Post cereal deal at Albertsons, I was able to take a huge shopping bag full of great cereal to the food pantry yesterday. The whole bag cost me less than $2, so it wasn't a big sacrifice, but I hope someone will enjoy them. That is something I can do, on a frugal budget, to help others.

How can I use the bounty God has blessed me with to bless someone else? Finding the answer to that question is my goal for this year.


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