Random act of generosity

[Coytee]

Couple days ago, I was heading out to work.  I think it was 5:30 a.m.  Driving down road, having skipped breakfast at home (to get moving to destination sooner) I decided I'd go to my local Hardee's and get an egg biscuit and a drink.  Driving downtown, my mind was meandering on the plan for the day at work....  I got 20 feet past the turn in for breakfast and had a split second to think....

 

Do I want to keep going, stop at the next Hardee's which takes me about a mile off course, or just do a U-turn and go back here?

 

I did a U-turn at the light.  Don't you know that as I was driving in, someone 'ducked' into the driveway just ahead of me.  Great.....this is going to slow me down.  Typically, the person ducking in front of you wants 15 items....  their credit/debit card needs a call in for verification....OH, then they have 5 coupons that need to be adjusted...

 

Get to speaker, give my order.  The offender was in front of me.

 

Offender gets his meal.  He then plays chit-chat with the gal at window (move on.....I have places to go!)

 

They conversed for a moment, she goes back to her register....  cripes....  hereeeeeee we go.... out with the coupons, cancel prior transaction, re-ring things....

 

Yep...  she goes back to window, tells him something, he hands her his card again.

 

Sigh.  Oh well, I have time.  I'm a persistent early-bird so always have wiggle time in my plan.

 

He pulls out....I drive up.  She lets me know "Merry Christmas, the car ahead of you paid for your breakfast!"

 

WHA?  I'm just staring, confused....  trying to decipher what she just told me.  She went on to say "yep....  he bought your breakfast, we get that from time to time but more so at this time of year"

 

I didn't know what to do nor say....  I finally asked her to tell him (if he's a regular and she'd recognize him) if she saw him again, that I said to tell him thank you.

Seems his second conversation with her and the re-passing of the credit card was their conversation about me.  I'm guessing he decided to pay my bill since it was something like $4.00 verses $58!!

 

Never had that happen to me.

 

 

Kind of reminds me of going through similar drive through with my wife in front of me (both driving to work so both in town with two cars between us)

 

I was behind my wife, she ordered, got to window.  As I was ordering, I told gal on the speaker I wanted to pay for the gal in front of me.....AND....  I would appreciate it if she (the gal on the speaker) would try to get her phone number for me.

 

The car in front of me pulls away (the wife) and the gal at the window said "when I asked her about the phone number, she said 'no'"

 

During this talk, the wife pulled into a parking spot....  I drove over next to her and we had our fries/coke or whatever it was.

 

I always wondered what the gal in the window thought when "the lady at the drive through" told her "no" to giving out her phone number to a presumed stranger, yet, immediately pulls over to a parking spot and immediately begins chatting with this (presumed) masher.

 

Done that several times to my wife.  She says it drives her nuts.

 

[SWL]

That's cool. Yesterday, I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping.....only had a few things, ALL the lines were a mile long and a nice lady let me go ahead of her.

In the very near future, the next time I go through a drive through I think I'll pay for the next car behind me. Thanks for the idea.[emoji4]

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[MEH Synergy]

Interesting story.   Simple gesture that clearly left positive standing results.   I know there acts acts of generosity here.   But random acts like that are always nice to hear about.  Thanks for sharing. 

[dtel]

Nice story, see it's not nice to be grouchy you old crab. 

 

 

[Coytee]

Yeah, I did see some poetic irony in my rush to get to order....  the random thoughts going through my head.

 

I also felt guilty....  with no disrespect intended to their act of generosity....  it might have improved someone else's day much more, had he done that to someone that was homeless or something like that.  Meaning, the cost nor effort to get the biscuit meant nothing to me.  It was no effort on my part to do it.  There are others in life who have different struggles.

 

I froze a bit....  thinking "now what do I do???  do I need to pay for the person's meal behind me?...  if I do and it's $25 is that fair?  If I don't, will I feel guilty?..."

 

Just a quick flash of various and somewhat competing thoughts/emotions.  As a side note, I didn't pay for anyone behind me (at 5:30 there wasn't anybody) but still....  WOULD I have done it?  Heck, I almost feel guilty just thinking about it.

 

and this is coming from a guy that once passed a hitch hiker who was walking while thumbing (that's always my test....are you at least making an effort to your destination or just sitting & waiting?)

 

I passed him, saw he was walking, felt guilty that I passed him.....  drove about 1/2 mile, turned around passed him again (had to find turnaround).  Came back on him and pulled over.

 

This was between Oxford & Hamilton Ohio.  His destination?  His parents in Cincinnati, maybe 40 miles from where we were.  Me?  I was heading home too and it was about 6 miles away from this location.

 

He got in and I drove him to his door in Cincy and then drove back home.

 

Now, had he been sitting & thumbing?  I'd have no story to tell.

 

Signed:  Grouchy old crab

 

 

[dtel]

But it's easy to see why you got aggravated, there are so many people who are completely inconsiderate everywhere you go. But there still many good people but they're overshadowed by the "me first" type and just plain rude people. 

 

Hitchhikers, I stopped picking them up a long time ago, especially if the family is in the car, just way too many crazies out there.

 

Like with charities, for the most part, people want to help and are willing but are reluctant when you hear in some cases over 90% goes to "administration", this hurts worthwhile charities, they all look suspicious.

 

But there are still many really good people out there. 

[T2K]

 

I was the 'victim' of a random act of kindness once.

 

 

[jimjimbo]

I stuck my foot out and tripped a 5 year old kid in the grocery store line yesterday.  Everyone laughed......the cops too.

[mungkiman]

I somehow blew a tire on Thursday. After installing the spare and driving to the dealership, I was told the tire was still under warranty and that the labor to install the new one was covered. Minor inconvenience...

 

While waiting in the lobby, a woman seated near me was told that she needed a new water pump and a few other necessary items. After agreeing to the work, she immediately broke down in tears, and cried until a friend picked her up since the repair wouldn't be completed until the following day. After she left, I spoke to the service manager and anonymously pre-paid the labor for her repairs.

 

Not my usual MO, but it felt good.

 

[DizRotus]

2 hours ago, dtel said:

Hitchhikers, I stopped picking them up a long time ago, especially if the family is in the car, just way too many crazies

 

I do not recommend hitchhiking from either perspective.  It's unfortunate that this vintage form of ride sharing is no longer safe, but it isn't.  Not since my days as an assistant prosecutor, have I encouraged hitchhiking.  Too many police reports started with hitchhiking; the drivers or the riders were interchangeable as perpetrators or victims.

 

I'm all for random acts of kindness, so long as they don't involve hitchhiking.  Years ago I was out in the car in my avatar early Saturday morning of the Woodward Ave Dream Cruise, when a tall thin shabbily dressed, somewhat pungent, man asked me for directions to a place in Pontiac, about ten miles away.  I said, rather than directions, why don't I just take you.  He was pleased.  My wife was aghast when I told her the tale.  My reply was that the frail man posed no physical threat, especially after I cinched him in with the 5-point racing harness.  Had he been soliciting a ride, I would not have done it.  Truth be told, he was taking a greater risk than was I.

[Coytee]

3 hours ago, mungkiman said:

but it felt good.

 

Indeed, hats off to you!! 

 

 

[Schu]

I regularly take shoes and jackets down town and leave them in random places for the homeless to find. Every time I go back to check them they are gone.

Vegas has a huge homeless issue.

 

Las week after I got my new seats, I took the huge shipping box/crate to an area I know there are homeless campers and left this mobile room for someone to reside in. It cam with all kinds of very thick cushioning and shipping blankets and the cardboard crate was made from cardboard that was over an inch thick... when I went back, it was all being used.