"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness..."

"A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.



"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone..."



Can you remember ever having a day when nothing seemed to be going right....you woke up on the wrong side of bed..the kids have a horrible attitude..your running late...then you spill coffee on your brilliantly white shirt..you really don't have to time to change but you have no choice as today is that big meeting that you have with all the bigwigs in your department...you finally get everyone in the car and buckled up only to discover...you walked right out the house without you keys...Its one dillema right after another and before you even get to work you feel like you just want to throw your hands up and say "I'm done..I'm going home!"....When all the sudden a fresh cup of coffee arrives on your desk...you don't know where it came from..or rather who it came from...but its just enough to make you take a nice deep breath, close your eyes for a moment, a slow smile starts to creep across your face...and you feel a sense of calmness come over you....your ready to take on the rest of the day....


I read a friends blog a while back and it was on "Paying it Forward"...now I (as has many of you) have seen the movie...but I never really gave it much thought until I read this very sweet persons blog...She detailed how she challenged herself to do little anonymous things for either total strangers or people she knew....Well...after reading this I decieded that I would challenge myself to do the same thing...The challenge was for one whole week I would do one anonymous nice thing for someone each day...I wanted no credit...It was totally anonymous...


I have a several blank cards at my house that I keep stored for last minute birthdays or just anything else that may pop up unexpectantly...So, on Monday I grabbed one of these cards and wrote on the inside "There are big ships and small ships but the best ship of all is friendship...I hope you have a great day!" I didn't sign my name...I just slipped into a envelope and wrote my friends name on the outside....As I was driving to work...I pulled onto the side of the road and slipped the card into her mailbox and then drove off...I knew this friend needed some kind words...and I could only smile when I talked to her later in the week as she told me about this "random" card that showed up in her mailbox and how it made her smile...


On Tuesday, I stopped and got me a cup of coffee at the bookstore here on campus and while no one was in the bookstore at the time I knew it was only a matter of time before someone came in and ordered another coffee...so what did I do...When I paid for my coffee I told the cashier to also ring up a Venti (large) coffee and give it to the next person that walked in and ordered a coffee...Now, all of you coffee drinkers out there know..sometimes that big cup of caffeine can be your golden ticket to having a good day...


Wednesday was a tad bit harder...I have some rose bushes in my backyard so I cut a beautiful array of roses off and arranged them in a small vase with some water...My plan was to place these flowers on a woman's desk at work that I know that always has a kind word to say or a smile to offer...well...when I got to work she was already seated at her desk...so I periodically had to walk by her office to see when she was gone (I almost felt like a spy)  so I could slid the vase on her desk without anyone seeing me..I attached a note that said..."Have a blessed day!"...I have not talked to her since I placed these flowers on her desk but I can imagine her surprise when she saw them...


By Thursday, I was really loving the way that doing these anonymous nice things made me feel...No matter how frustrated..angry..tired...or anything else I was feeling from my day..I knew that I had made someone out there smile (or at least I hope I did)...So that afternoon before I left work...I put a sticky note on the garbage can under my desk..the note was for the cleaning lady that comes in every night and changes the garbage bags and vacuums the floors....It said " Thank you so much for your service...I don't know you..or your name....but I just wanted to tell you Thank you!" ...well this morning when I came in there was another sticky note attached to my garbage can that said "Your welcome young Lady... You made my night...and my name is Debra.. :)" How awesome is that!?


So to finish out the week... this morning Khristian and I went through the drive thru at Daylight Doughnuts..we both ordered us yummy sausage roll.... when a white car pulled up behind me with a women that looked like she was in the worst mood possible...and what better on a bad morning than a glazed chocolate doughnut...(In my world, Chocolate can just about fix anything)..So, I went ahead and paid for her a chocolate doughnut and told the cashier to give it to her and tell her "Happy Friday" when she pulled up to the window...I had already pulled out onto 231 by the time that the cashier handed her the chocolatey goodness...


As this week comes to a close..I feel a twinge of sadness because I actually looked forward everyday to making some random person smile...no matter what may be going in their life..for just that moment...they felt a tad bit better because I took just a sliver of time out of my day to do something nice for them...I payed it forward...I don't want to get all "Hallmark card" mushy on you...but..what if we all did this? It doesnt have to be everyday...or every week...and you dont have to spend any money...but what if you just offered someone a friendly wave...or a "Hey, how are you?" and actually look interested to hear the answer...We are all guilty of it...we get so consumed with whats going on in our own life that we forget that people around us everyday are fighting his or her own personal battles....The women at the bank that goes home every night to her husband fighting cancer....or the man that is stuggling to pay his mortgage that has a wife and a new baby at home...Or the little old lady that lives out in the country and needs someone to check in on her every now and then...No matter what the situation is...we are all fighting our own battles..and sometimes compassion for another human being can go a long way in a world that has forgotten what the word "Compassion" means...


Too often we underestimate the power of a touch... a smile..a kind word... a listening ear... an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around


So..in closing...I challenge each of you..Try it...Pay it Forward...What could it hurt.. :)