In trying to teach my girls how important it is to pay it forward, sometimes it feels like I can't come up with any new ideas or ways to show them. But then I realized that paying it forward is not something that one should sit and think about. Paying it forward is a lifestyle, a way of life that comes so natural to us that we honestly forget that we ARE paying it forward every day through kind and caring actions.
I spent the day Friday making sure that everyone I came in contact with got a smile. The cashier at the store, the random people I passed on the street, and even the people that were standing in the long lines with me at the fair. Every person I made eye contact with got a beaming smile. And happily enough, ALMOST everyone returned my smile.
My next misson was to pass on compliments to people. It seems like bad gossip spreads like wildfire but people rarely pass on good things that they hear! So I made a special effort to compliment people and tell them that I had heard something very complimentary about them. One lady in particualar has been trying very hard to get her diet under control and lose some weight. When my daughter met her she commented that this lady was very pretty. I just knew this would make her day so I made a special trip over to talk to her and told her my daughter thought she was so attractive. The smile on her face told me that it was appreciated! No matter how old we are, we all love to hear nice things about ourselves.
So my pay it forward is no special event or big accomplishment. I didn't save the world or pay off America's debt. But I shared a lot of smiles with a lot of people. I hope in some small way that made someone's day a little bit brighter.
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