Pay It Forward

There was little I needed to get at the grocery store, but since I had a coupon I dashed in and got two cans of Wasabi peas.

Check out that day was unusually difficult and presented a challenge as huge as Mount Everest. After at least six tries of putting the card into the card reader, I was still stuck and at least ten people were behind me waiting to be checked out.

I could see that the woman who was at the cash register was becoming irritated because I couldn’t seem to get anything right about the electronic check out. It was really not difficult, but I couldn’t get it right. The checker came around to help me with the reader. People in line were frustrated because they wanted to be checked out.

The checker urged me to breathe deeply and relax, but still I couldn’t seem to get it. Anyway, I hated for people to tell me to breathe. It seemed stupid in the face of having breathed without effort all my life. Yet they made a big deal of it. Then the checker called out on the loudspeaker for more help at the cash registers. In desperation I gave up and told the checker, I’d put the two cans of Wasabi peas back on the shelf and forget it.

The women in line behind me saw what was going on and offered to pay for the two cans of peas.

As I tried to reject her offering of goodwill, she said, “I want to do this and I can help you. Please let me.”

I countered with, “But, how am I going to pay you back?”

She briefly paused and claimed, “You aren’t. Don’t worry about it. It is a way to pay it forward. I like to do things like this. It is not a problem.”

I asked her what her name was so I could write a blog about her. She was delighted and told me her name was Sandra. An extra measure of gratitude filled my heart that day for this kind woman who wanted to help me by paying my bill forward.

Thanks Sandra. You made my day and I will remember you and pay it forward every time I have a chance!

Rebecca Field

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