Good stuff floating out there.

Paying it forward is a powerful thing. I am not really into mystical stuff, nor am I religious in the least. But there is something about throwing positive stuff out there. It can be a momentary act, but it floats out there for a long time. Long past the time you would even think to peek to see how it all is going out there, because of you.


On a day last week when I decided to pay it forward in the form of furniture that had served my 3 kids, I came home to a repaired bottom of my driveway. A road crew working on a manhole decided to fill the rut that made us all bottom out for years. And they were gone! I couldn't thank them. Such a kindness. So small and yet so nice. You can't always thank those that preform the acts of kindness, but you can keep them going out of respect.

I do try and donate money when I can, or prepare a meal for a family who needs a boost, or fill a backpack in August for a child in need. But sometimes it is just a matter of bringing up a neighbor's garbage can or telling a mom how wonderful her children are behaving. My day has been made by a compliment- especially in the days of my coming last in the getting ready/out the door/ even looking in a mirror department. I have felt relieved when an extended family member has made it their mission to shower attention on one of my kids when my hands were filled with another. So many little things can be so big. And they take a moment and last a lifetime in someone's heart, even if no one knows it is there any more. 
Kindness changes people.