Saturday, February 2, 2013

just a dollar


 I ran into the grocery store yesterday to get just two things: paper towels and eggs.

I was standing in the 15-and-under-limit line, when the elderly woman in front of me turned
 and said with a smile, "I can't help but laugh at what you're buying. Paper towels and
eggs. Does that mean you're going to get home and drop the eggs on the floor, so you need
the paper towels to clean them up?" I laughed and told her I hoped not. That it had happened to
me before and eggs were certainly no fun to clean up. She then went on to tell me that she
had been at a funeral the day before and in the room where the food was, a little boy ran into
his mother who was holding a cherry pie. The pie went "splat", face-down onto the floor.
Talk about a mess to clean up!


 The cashier rang up the elderly woman's groceries and the total came to $21. The woman
handed the cashier two ten-dollar bills and frantically started digging into her purse and pockets
for the extra dollar. She came up with some coins, but not enough to equal a dollar. Red-faced,
she said to the cashier, "I guess I'm going to have to put something back." Now, mind you,
this woman wasn't buying anything like candy or chips. She had vegetables, bread, and
a package of meat. The cashier said, "Do you want me to take off the peas?" I reached into
my purse and handed the cashier a dollar. The cashier said to the elderly woman, "Never mind.
This lady here just gave me a dollar."

The elderly woman turned to me and said, "Oh no, you don't have to do that. I'm so embarrassed."
I said to her, "It's just a dollar. It's no big deal. You shouldn't have to put some food back."
The elderly woman mumbled, "If I ever see you in public again, I'll pay you back..."
I told her to just pay it forward.

I am not bragging or patting myself on the back. "Strangers" talk to me in public all the time,
especially old ladies. My husband says I have "talk to me" stamped on my forehead. Others have told
me it's because I have a kind face. I don't know. Maybe it's just because I just have the basic
philosophy that we should all be kind to one another. A self-serving attitude or anger at the world
don't get you anywhere. We should all be in this world to help each other with whatever means
we have available to us. It doesn't have to be something big, like a check written to a charity or helping out at a homeless shelter. A smile to a stranger, a kind word, a card sent in the mail, shoveling a neighbor's driveway, taking a meal to someone who's housebound. These are the little things that
we're all capable of. For me, it was just a dollar. To the elderly woman, it might've meant the world.

Linking to Sunny Simple Life

35 comments:

  1. What a nice gesture, and i would of done the say. You ended up meeting and having a cute conversation with the women, who now is your friend.

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    1. One little act of kindness goes a long way, doesn't it? :-)

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  2. Our actions say more about us than words ever could. Your act of kindness will be remembered not only by the lady you helped but by the cashier, too. Thanks for the inspirational story. Hope you're having a wonderfully warm weekend! -- Jan

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  3. What a fabulous post. Amen, I so agree, we have the chance every day to pay kindness and love forward to someone in some way. Your dollar was more valuable than a million because it was given with a kind heart. God Bless. Hugs, Marty

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  4. Marty said it perfectly. That you chat with strangers, have a friendly face and are willing to help someone out in a pinch are all qualities we should hope to have. And yes, pat yourself on the back, you made someone happy today and by posting, you have inspired us to do the same!

    XO,
    Jane

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  5. It's posts like these that make blogging genuine. We can all post this or that about our homes, our "stuff" but it's the "stuff" inside of of hearts that's truly important. You have a wonderful heart and I'm proud to be your blogging buddy.

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    1. That made me tear up! Thanks for the compliment.

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  6. Great post. Perhaps you entertained an angel with your gift of a dollar.

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  7. Melanie, it is these gestures of kindness and care that make our world a better place. This woman will never forget this day in her life. Your family is Blessed to have you as their Mom, daughter, wife and friend!

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    1. Thank you, Jemma. That is so sweet of you to say that. :-)

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  8. What a sweet thing to do but then I always knew you were a kind person Melanie. You never know what tiny gesture as with a smile does to the person on the receiving end.

    I have the same thing with people always talking to me. Jos says it is because I have an innocent look to my face and it invites others to talk.

    Hugs from Holland ~
    Heidi

    P.S. - You only need branches from outside in a vase to create a Valentine tree. Just make sure they are secure in your vase or they will crash to the ground like mine did on Friday evening...lol.

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    1. You are so kind, Heidi. Is that what it is...we have an innocent look to our faces? Thanks for letting me know that your "tree" is just branches from outside. I may have to go collect some!

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  9. That is a wonderful story! I have that kind of face also that people just talk to me. I think being kind is one of the best things in life we can do. Paying it forward!
    hugs,
    Linda

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  10. Thank you for having a kind heart and helping the lady at the store. I'm so glad you were there for her. Imagine, if before we went out for the day, if we ALL promised ourselves to be more aware of the needs around us. I love Brandon Heath's song "Give Me Your Eyes".

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    1. I'm not familiar with that song. I'll have to look it up!

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  11. Great story! I'll be looking for my chance to follow your lead :-)

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    1. Sounds good...you will be repaid in kindness yourself, believe me!

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  12. That was sweet! My husband has that kind of face, people every where just talk to him. They also remember him even if it's been a long time since they've seen him.

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  13. What a lovely post and such a sweet things for you to do.

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  14. What a beautiful story! I bet you totally made her day. It's so refreshing to hear that there are still such wonderful people in the world :-) Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Melanie, what a kind thing to do. It is so good to read something positive like this.

    Blessings to you,
    Barb

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  16. Hi Melanie; The same thing happened to me, I checked out and was just about a dollar short. How embarassing!! A kind man behind me gave the cashier a dollar for me. I told him I would pass on the nice gesture whenever I could. It was soooo appreciated! Love and hugs, Nana

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    1. I'm glad to know kindness is being spread around. :-)

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  17. That is so wonderful. You were blessed, too and probably felt even better than she did...if that is possible! You deserve some extra hugs...I'm sending you some!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment - I read and appreciate each one!