You’ve likely seen the movie or heard the concept about paying it forward? I’ve done it before and the holidays remind us of the concept of paying it forward and giving the gift of thoughtfulness. It’s even more thoughtful when you do it without hope for reward or acknowledgement. I pay it forward when I am in the drive thru line at Starbuck’s, in a restaurant or even in a toy store.
Proposal Pay Forward
On one message board, one poster described the story of how her son proposed to his girlfriend. He did it traditionally, in the middle of a nice dinner in a restaurant and he got down on one knee and held out the ring box to make his marriage proposal. The proposal was accepted and their dinner continued as a celebration of their engagement. When it came time to pay the check, the waiter told them that it had been taken care of. Apparently an older couple in their fifties who enjoyed the proposal had taken care of their bill.
Wedding Dress Pay Forward
Two girlfriends went out to shop for a wedding dress. Their budget was limited, but one of the women was getting ready to marry the man she’d been in love with since their days in college. They’d been together seven years and while their budget was tight, they were working very hard to put together a simple, but elegant wedding that they’d always dreamed of. So the women went out to shop for a dress. After several different stops, the bride to be found the dress she adored, but unfortunately it was well beyond her budget.
They shopped around again, but the bride continued to glance longingly at the dress she’d fallen in love with. They found another dress, one that would do and that looked lovely on her. The shop assistant took her measurements and assured her they could take care of the alterations and the dress would be ready for delivery well before the wedding. When the dress was delivered, the bride was startled to find the dress inside of it was the original she’d fallen in love with. A note was delivered with the dress – it told her a short story of another bride who longed for a beautiful dress for her wedding, but like this bride, her budget was limited.
A shopkeeper gave her a wonderful wedding gift, the perfect wedding dress. Now this shopkeeper was paying it forward. She asked the bride to remember this story so that someday she could pay it forward herself.
Have you ever paid it forward or been the recipient of a pay it forward? I’d love to hear your stories.
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