Pay It Forward

Go into any store right now and you will be greeted by Christmas trees, Christmas music, and Christmas sales. We just said goodbye to Halloween, haven't even welcomed Thanksgiving, yet there Christmas is...slapping us in the face. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the music, love the food, LOVE the shopping. So today, instead of being ba-hum-bug and cursing the sales industry, I embraced the holiday spirit. I decided to go to Starbucks this morning, ready to grab myself one of those signature red cups and a peppermint mocha. My favorite holiday indulgence. After ordering, I got up to the window to pay. I quickly decided to pay for the car behind me. I have wanted to do this for a very long time, hearing many people talk about either doing this or having it happen to them.

Upon glancing in my rear view mirror I saw that my lucky receiver was a college student. The B parking sticker hanging in her window gave her away. I was quickly caught up in knowing her story. What was her major? Was she headed to class? Was she hung over from the night before? Questions ran through my head as I watched her pull up to the window. I realized quickly that it was worth the money. The smile on her face, the sheer astonishment that she didn't have to pull out her wallet, was something that I hope keeps the holiday spirit alive in my heart for the next 51 days. 'Tis the season people...pay it forward