Do you pay it forward?

Question

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even
in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in
front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he
approached her.


Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to
help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look
safe; he looked poor and hungry.


He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He
knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.


He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where
it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."


Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad
enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack,
skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire.
But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.


As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began
to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just
passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.


Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed
him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined
all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan
never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was
helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him
a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never
occurred to him to act any other way.


He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she
saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they
needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."


He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and
depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into
the twilight.


A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a
bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her
trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas
pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and
brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that
even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed
the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain
and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so
little could be so giving to a stranger.


Then she remembered Bryan.


After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.
The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but
the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the
waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be.


Then she noticed something written on the napkin.


There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't
owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the
way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you
do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."


Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.


Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve,
but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home
from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what
the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her
husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be
hard....


She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her,
she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to
be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

Answer 1

I stopped to help a stranded young couple one time.
I am a certified VW mechanic.I saw this beat up old bus sitting on the side of the road. And noticed a girl sitting there with the longest face I ever seen on a person. I told my wife I was going to turn around and see if I can help them.
After about an hour I had them back up and running. They turned out to be very descent respectful individuals. They tried to pay me but I refused their money because my only thought was this girls father would have been worried sick if he had known the dilemma his daughter was in. I know I would have been. I had in my trunk parts from a job I had done
weeks before. They worked fine for them. To see their faces was payment enough.My wife told me how proud she was of me to have done such a deed.
I had seen the movie Pass It On, and as they were driving away I told them don't forget to help some one else some day. I felt good that day.

Answer 2

Hi Southern Comfort, That was a great story! Yes, I try to pay it forward as often as I have the opportunity. I find it one of the most fulfilling things to do, I actually get joy from it., and good does come back to me through others. I believe in it.

Answer 3

I love the concept, loved the movie, and corny as it may sound to some I actually do try to pay it forward in some way if not every day then at least every week as a volunteer. I do try to seize moments each day to put myself in another's shoes so to speak. I think it certainly can't hurt the world and if more people approached it like this it wouldn't hurt it.

Answer 4

I didn't read you whole question, but I saw the movie. Ever since, my husband and I make a point of paying it forward. Someone does something nice for us and we do something nice for someone else. It really is the most heart felt way I have ever given to another person.

Answer 5

Yes I think Kindness to others is essential to being happy :)

I try to help people when I can and recently with a friend we have been doing free hugs and leaving flowers on random doorsteps. Weather people consciously pass on their happiness or not the good mood you put them in affects everyone they meet.

Love and kindness to all :)

Answer 6

My dad used to help out stranded motorists. This would often make us late for where we were going, but he said that he hoped someday if I or my siblings were stranded by the roadside, someone would help us out too.

Whenever I have been in need of help, and someone has helped me, I think of my dad.

I never regret one minute of service or act of kindness I give to others. It just makes you feel good.

Answer 7

wow what a gorgeous story .... I was near in tears at the end
I love the pay it forward idea ... and have the pay it forward web site saved so that I can get inspiration for myself as ways to pay it forward
I havent had the opportunity to apply it yet
but I love the whole idea ... I loved the film
thank you xx

Answer 8

have heard this story before, have seen it in a video, still makes me tear every time, and yes I pay if forward. random acts of kindness

Answer 9

yes. I try to help others out even when I need help myself. Thank you for letting me read this wonderful story.

Answer 10

Yes, I do. Thanks for the reminder. A beautiful story that has ben used to remind us
"Do under others and you would have them do unto you."

I remember the movie "Pay it Forward." It was so sweet.