Pay it Forward

Before i get started on this post i have to mention that some weird things have been happening lately.

The other day the term “Procrastination” came to mind and some time that day a blog that i was reading, by a fitness trainers that i idol, brought that subject up as well.

Yesterday i was thinking about the State Trooper that was involved in our Governor’s car accident a while back, and yesterday evening i was at the grocery store and he was on the front page of the newspaper.

Wednesday i went to the big box bulk store and purchased a trunk full of cereal for my Church. Today the movie “Pay it Forward” was on HBO.

Craziness i tell ya!

I watched “Pay it Forward” again for the hundredth time today. I love Kevin Spacey for one, and two, it just fit into the way i was feeling this week.

I’ve always been a giving person. In fact, I’d rather give than receive because it makes me feel better knowing that person is happy. I always look for that opportunity, as long as it’s not compromising my integrity and my financial well-being. So what’s 50 dollars to feed some hungry people? Not much, but that thought that they will eat a healthy breakfast cereal as opposed to junk, or worse.. garbage, humbles me.

Now that the Thanksgiving season is upon us, it’s time to collect for the food pantries and local shelters. I’m lucky as sometimes my company sponsors a drop box, my Mom’s company sponsors a huge drop-off and they even have competitions internally with which floor can get the most food and or gift certs to the local grocery stores (there are 12 floors so the competition is fierce!). This year I’m blessed that my Church is a drop center, and i am looking forward to clipping coupons and getting two for one deals to make my drop-off bigger and better this year.

We have a lot of people out of work, a lot of families on the brink of starvation and collapse. I am doing ok in this economy; so what’s a few bucks to help out those that have less than nothing?

When i joined this Church just a few short months ago, the Reverend told my FH and I that they don’t ask for monthly monetary donations. They ask that you help out in other ways, like volunteering etc. I’m a very shy person so volunteering with things that i know nothing about is not something my anxiety levels can handle at this point in my wedding planning life. I decided instead to donate what i can and that is what they need. They need cereal so i went out and bought what i could afford. They will need for their food pantry in a month or so and i will help out there too. If they needed help weeding the property i can do that in the blink of an eye, but i think they have a landscaping company do that stuff!

The bottom line is: every day we breathe on this Earth we do it for ourselves. Why not give someone else a breathe of fresh air for a moment so they can breathe too? That doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend your last dime on food/clothing/gifts etc. It can easily be done when sitting in traffic and letting a person into a lane or out of a parking lot. Bagging your own groceries instead of having the cashier do it for you which will make the line for others move quicker. Seeing someone behind you with a ton of kids (or not) that has 2 items and you have a cart full, move aside and let them go ahead of you. Smile at someone that needs it, or just simply say “Good Morning” to  a stranger passing by! The possibilities are endless and mostly there are no costs involved. It’s simply being a nice and courteous person.

The concept of the movie is touching, and the world would be a better place should we all have that mantality, but let’s face it. Coming from a metrolpolitan area i know all too well that 90% of the people living in it are living it for themselves, that’s why there is so much crime and murder around here. So us other 10% need to do something to help, even if it is those doing all of those bad things.. that’s ok who am i to judge? i just want to be judged correctly when i get to the pearly gates.