Pay It Forward. Not

Pretty grumpy leaving work today. What type of act of kindness could change that? Ice cream. It's a happy food. And today was close to 90 degrees, so it was a perfect ice cream day. I stopped at the local shop, bought a gift certificate, and left it there with a note. I asked that it be given it to the next person who came in that looked like they could use a pick me up.

This was a slight departure from my usual routine, as I prefer to disappear before anyone can comment or ask about what I'm doing. I'm not sure know why. I think partly because because it is awkward, and partly because anonymity is more fun. But today I chatted a bit with the proprietor. I explained to her that I was trying to be a little more kind. She commented how nice that was and then said “So you're paying it forward.”

For the record, I do not like when people refer to what I'm doing as “pay it forward.” Spoiler alert, if you haven't seen the movie “Pay it Forward” and plan to at some point in your life, stop reading now. I hated that movie. It came out in 2000 and was billed as the “feel good movie of the year.” And it was, right until the end. When the kid dies. Are you serious? What kind of feel good movie is that? 10 years later I still feel like I was sucker punched.

You can probably deduce by the fact that I am doing this kindness thing that I am all about the feel good moment. I like movies with happy endings, I like books with happy endings. I do not like being surprised by the death of the main character. Who is a child. So call it random acts of kindness. Call it being nice. Call it me having too much time on my hands. But DO NOT say I'm paying it forward.