On an average day last week, I was cashiering a semi long line when a very upbeat, friendly man came up and offered his coupon to the man behind him because he realized it would work on his purchase. Instead of keeping it for himself, this man was selfless enough to offer it to a stranger. He then proceeded to inform us that Friday was "Pay it Forward Day".
This small act of kindness brightened everyone's mood, and the people line seemed a lot friendlier after this; joking and laughing with each other where normally there would have been awkward glances and empty stares. I saw the effects of this man's act of kindness right before my eyes and realized how much a small gesture can make a difference in this world.
I vaguely remember stories on the news about long drive thru lines of people paying for the person behind them out of the kindness of their hearts, and after a quick Google search, it turns out this man was right. April 28th was international "Pay it Forward" day, a movement started as an effort to spread love globally and according to their website, "create a huge ripple of kindness felt across the world." The movement has taken hold in over 80 countries, and their goal is to spread 10 million random acts of kindness around the world.
Well, at this point you may be thinking, "oh nice, but that day already passed. "Too bad." No way! If one random act of kindness can change someone's day in a grocery line, imagine how much the world would change if we did things like this all the time! The next time you think about it, whether it's something simple or a big gesture, try making someone's day.
Some things you could do are:
-buying the next person's coffee in the café
-volunteering in your community
-helping someone in need
-sharing a smile with everyone (this one is easy!)
So if you felt a little happier last Friday, you were probably affected by the kindness ripple that was spread across the world. Isn't it amazing how much positivity we can spread just by living for others? Although we'll have to wait another year for international "Pay it Forward" day, we can change the world every day.
