Paying it forward seems to be my theme of the week.
While on the party-gift shopping expedition i mentioned in the previous post, i bumped into a friend, who commiserated with me over the expense of endless birthday invites, but she now has older children than mine, and reassured me this time too shall pass.
Continuing on my way, i stopped for one of my 'holiday coffees' ~these are rare occasions when i get to sit and have a coffee with just one child with me, which to me feels like being on holiday!
In the peripherals of my vision i realised someone was approaching me, in fact they were right behind me and were reaching towards my bag, alarmed, i clutched at my bag, only to hear my friend's soothing voice, say "It's just me, alleviating some of those party pressure moments", as she slipped a gift voucher she had just purchased for me, into my handbag.
As i stood to thank her, hug or and splutter some useless words, wanting no fuss she waved and hurried off, making the moment truly poignant for me, and really in avoiding a display of appreciation from me, she showed herself to be utterly selfless and a real blessing to others. She had acted to bless and not to be blessed.
The same afternoon, a dear friend told me of a teenage boy, no older than 16, hearing from the back of the ice-cream parlour queue that she was short of $5 at a cash only local ice-cream parlour.
The owner, generously said she could return in her own time with the difference, but as she walked out of the doors, the owner, shouted "No worries on the extra this lad has paid for you".
Do you remember, being 15 and every cent being impossibly hard to come by and worth a hang of a lot more than it is now?
Fancy that.
I also read about the 'suspended coffee' initiative in most US capital cities, where you can buy your own coffee and pay for an additional one or more at the same time, which is given to anyone who is homeless, or transient or needs it, at the vendor's discretion.
Imagine that in Sydney or Melbourne...
There is an awful lot of paying it forward happening out there, and probably a hang of a lot more goodness holistically happening all around us than we will ever care to look for, in our hurriedness.
So my mission is to head out on those mammoth grocery shopping outings with 3 kids, or my rampages through fabrics stores, and to be something other than single-minded, maybe to be something resembling socially conscious, kind, aware, on a mission to pay something forward.
Shan x
While on the party-gift shopping expedition i mentioned in the previous post, i bumped into a friend, who commiserated with me over the expense of endless birthday invites, but she now has older children than mine, and reassured me this time too shall pass.
Continuing on my way, i stopped for one of my 'holiday coffees' ~these are rare occasions when i get to sit and have a coffee with just one child with me, which to me feels like being on holiday!
In the peripherals of my vision i realised someone was approaching me, in fact they were right behind me and were reaching towards my bag, alarmed, i clutched at my bag, only to hear my friend's soothing voice, say "It's just me, alleviating some of those party pressure moments", as she slipped a gift voucher she had just purchased for me, into my handbag.
As i stood to thank her, hug or and splutter some useless words, wanting no fuss she waved and hurried off, making the moment truly poignant for me, and really in avoiding a display of appreciation from me, she showed herself to be utterly selfless and a real blessing to others. She had acted to bless and not to be blessed.
The same afternoon, a dear friend told me of a teenage boy, no older than 16, hearing from the back of the ice-cream parlour queue that she was short of $5 at a cash only local ice-cream parlour.
The owner, generously said she could return in her own time with the difference, but as she walked out of the doors, the owner, shouted "No worries on the extra this lad has paid for you".
Do you remember, being 15 and every cent being impossibly hard to come by and worth a hang of a lot more than it is now?
Fancy that.
I also read about the 'suspended coffee' initiative in most US capital cities, where you can buy your own coffee and pay for an additional one or more at the same time, which is given to anyone who is homeless, or transient or needs it, at the vendor's discretion.
Imagine that in Sydney or Melbourne...
There is an awful lot of paying it forward happening out there, and probably a hang of a lot more goodness holistically happening all around us than we will ever care to look for, in our hurriedness.
So my mission is to head out on those mammoth grocery shopping outings with 3 kids, or my rampages through fabrics stores, and to be something other than single-minded, maybe to be something resembling socially conscious, kind, aware, on a mission to pay something forward.
Shan x
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