Intro to Pay it Forward

Well, for those of you that follow me on facebook, you already know today’s show topic. For those of you that don't follow me there, today I will be discussing my event in downtown and about the “pay it forward” philosophy.
During my veterinary conference –which was being held at the Hilton St. Louis Ballpark- we broke for lunch and I ventured outside. I quickly decided to make the trek 0.3 miles –as informed by my iPhone- to St. Louis Bread Company where I would enjoy a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, cold apple, and Iced Tea. After acquiring the desire of my stomach, I quickly headed back outdoors to enjoy the sunshine, and practice my sociology skills by people watching.
As I sat at my black wire table, in my matching black wire chair I watched as droves of people passed by me. Bite after bite my desires quickly maturated into fulfillment. My stomach gained what it had been longing for, and my brains epicenter was inundated with feelings of satisfaction.
I watched as droves of people passed by my table. Some were on their phones, some were alone, many were with others, and quite a few were dressed in Cardinals Fan attire. There was a game at Busch Stadium –one block away- that started in 35 minutes; and fans were making their way to the event. As these guests made their way into my brains thought processes I began to wonder who they were.
Where did they come from? What are they doing downtown? How has their day been thus far? Did they have a bad day? Who were they talking to on the other end of that phone? Are they of heavy heart or joyful spirit? How were they raised? Who raised them? Were they brought up in a family with a mom and a dad or just a mom or a dad? Were they raised by their grandparents? Perhaps children of the foster care system? Does he know Jesus? Why is that woman wearing a black shapeless dress with black leggings, and white Easy Spirit tennis shoes?
Then, it happened.

Across the street at Lion’s Choice, a middle-aged (48-52 years of age) woman, wearing a sage green blouse, matching floral print calf length skirt, glasses, and salt-and-pepper hair, exited the restaurant –much as I had done- to enjoy her mid-day meal outdoors. The woman’s hair was cut just at ear length, and the style looked as if she curled it and then brushed through the curls to maintain some of the volume, but give it a softer look. Her shoes were sling backs with a peep toe, saddle in color, and most likely of Clarks or Aresole brand. She was of dark olive complexion, and I imagined her to be either of Mexican or Samoan decent. She was mildly over weight at about 5’9” tall.
Her tray contained what looked to be a well-balanced, health conscious meal of garden salad –most likely containing special ingredients such as chicken or turkey, a knife, a fork, napkins, and a medium drink.

Now; anyone who has ever dined at Lion’s Choice is aware of two key factors: they have the best ice, and cups of any place, hands-down. A drink from Lion’s Choice is not just a means to quench thirst and provide a certain level of hydration, but an escape for 40% of your body’s senses. The taste is one of extreme freshness, and the feeling of the crushed ice within your mouth is pure bliss. Therefore, despite what liquid is contained within the walls of that Styrofoam vessel, it is sure to be an experience, not just a drink.

As the stranger passed through the door something happened causing her tray to become unbalanced. And with a SPLAT that Styrofoam cup hit the pavement, leaving a splattering of liquid all over. The lid and straw combination landed inches away from the cup, whose bottom had busted out with the impact. Ice was strewn about and the splattering of liquid quickly increased in size with each passing second.
The look on the woman’s face was one of shock in response to the event that just transpired. Her face quickly morphed into one of embarrassment, and sadness. The woman was reminded of the fact that it was lunch time in downtown St. Louis on the day of a Cardinals home game. She shuffled about trying to right the wrong she perceived she just committed. What most of us saw as an accident; she probably viewed as a travesty to those around her. No one offered the stranger any assistance. Steps were lengthened to avoid the splatter; shuffles were made to accommodate the large puddle of liquid and ice. As the woman stooped to pick up the cup and the lid/straw apparatus, she struggled to maintain balance of the tray containing her remaining, intact, salad, utensils, and napkins.
After shepherding the remnants of her beverage into a nearby trashcan, she made her way to a table to take refuge against the stream of people she once battled to clear her mess. She did not return indoors to gain another drink, but settled for what was left of her lunch and –I hope- vowed to enjoy what was left.
Shortly after taking her seat at the table, a woman –most likely a co-worker because they had matching name plates affixed to their blouses- sat down at the table with the stranger that had now pirated my thoughts.
Who is she? Where does she work? Did she get treated like crap at work today by complete strangers like I do every day? Does she like her job? How long has she been there? Does she like the woman sitting with her or is she just a convenient lunch date? What has her life been like? Are both of her parents still alive? What is it like to have your parents die before you? Are her shoes as comfortable as they look, because they better be to be that ugly?
About thirty seconds after her drink splattered atop the pavement I had already sub-consciously decided that I was going to replace that drink for her if she didn’t do so herself. So it was decided. She did not replace the drink that she had vowed to enjoy when she passed her hard earned money across the counter after ordering, so I was.
Shortly after the strangers lunch date made their self comfortable at their table, I had finished my grilled cheese and apple. I packed up the few items I had removed from my bag during my lunch, gathered my refuge from the meal, deposited it into the proper receptacle, and made my way to the cross walk. I was moments away from an interaction with a complete stranger that could either make me look like a caring stranger, or a complete weirdo.
My brain quickly commandeered and erased the feelings my conscious activated. Colin, what the hell are you doing? This woman is going to think you’re a freakin’ weirdo. She’ll take one look at that cup and wonder what you put in it. Why the hell are you going to spend your money on a complete stranger? You’re stupid, just take your ass back to the Hilton and move on. If she wanted a drink so damn bad she would have gone in there and got a new one.
“Excuse me” said the lady who was in line behind me at the crosswalk.
This was her polite way of making me away that foot traffic was moving. The signal had changed alerting us we had permission to cross the street with caution.
Before I knew it I was across the street, and had found my way inside Lion’s Choice taking a place in line to order. The line progressed quickly and within minutes I had passed my Visa over to the woman behind the counter to pay $1.78 for a new cup. Yet this was more than just a cup. This was a vessel that contained what the woman had once possessed. This hollow piece of Styrofoam was a visual reminder of a gracious act.
Within my hand I grasped a cup that had the potential to change the course of a stranger’s day.
I proceeded to place a straw and lid within the walls of cup; all while wishing I knew what the woman was intending to drink so I could make the act even more complete. I thought to myself: I bet she had Diet Coke or Iced Tea, after all she is eating a salad. Why would she ruin the health of a salad with something like regular Coke or Dr. Pepper?
I opened to portal to the outdoors and made a sharp left to make my way to the woman’s table. As I made the turn a sharp breeze began to flow and I was forced to close my eyes to protect them from the debris that swirled about. The breeze quickly calmed, and I was able to open my eyes revealing that I was less than 10 feet from the alien that had monopolized my thoughts for the past 7-10 minutes.
“Excuse me, I was sitting across the street at St. Louis Bread Company” I said as I gestured to the table that once served as my respite from the day thus far.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you had dropped your drink on the ground. I thought that I would get this for you to replace it.” With that I passed the woman her new cup and flashed a smile.
“Really?” she questioned as her face contorted to display a level of shock just as she had when the drink she possessed met its demise, on the cement.
“Yeah,” I said, “I just felt bad, and I just wanted to do this for you to let you know I cared.”
“Thank you so much!” the stranger uttered, as she looked up at me, catching the sun in her eyes causing a quick squint to cross her brow.
And as quickly as it all had happened, it was over.

Tune in tomorrow for Volume 1 Issue 4 where I will discuss my views on Paying it Forward…with 18%APR.

It’s 12:08am and this is Colin.Always. As always, telling you to keep it classy.