i try not to do good things for the wrong reasons and one of the "wrongest" of reasons is because it makes me feel good.
that said, this made me feel good:
in keeping with my new commitment to buy something for someone else whenever i go through the fast food line or stop off somewhere to buy a coffee, i told the girl at the drive-thru window at mcdonald's the other morning that i would pay for whatever the car behind me ordered and to just add her bill to mine. after i paid and got my food, i paused long enough to check inside the bag to make sure they gave me what i ordered. (sidebar: they did! first time in history! right?)
next thing i know, the woman in the car behind me pulls up beside me. she motioned for me to roll down my window (i presumed so that she could tell me "thank you"), and she did, in fact, thank me. profusely. but that wasn't the unexpected part. the unexpected part was when she said, "i noticed the Catholic radio bumper sticker on your car. i just switched the dial."
and the second unexpected thing that came from doing a good thing was when charlie discovered my newly installed "poor box," into which i make a donation every morning when i leave the house and every evening when i return.
charlie wanted to take some of the money out of the container and put it into his little hands. his dad knelt down and explained, in 2-year old terms, the concept of charity. he told charlie to put the money back. so that someone who might be hungry or not have a shirt to wear could get one.
and charlie put it back.
not because he understood diddly, because of course, he did not.
but it was a teachable moment and one upon which many more like it in the future can build.
so, in other words, what goes around comes around.
and sometimes........that's a good thing.
