Pay It Forward

Yesterday was the quarterly meeting of the Survivors Club. Actually, it's more like the biannual meeting of the Survivors Club now. The Survivors Club is a group of folk made up of individuals who worked at the office I work at now, my first came to work with the State. As to the staff "jumped ship" and previous director took leadership of the office. I'm the last of the original staff. We launched at the new mall recently opened in downtown Salt Lake City, at the food court. I figured this was the best place for lunch since it was easy access to everybody's office and the train stops right in the middle of the mall.

In actuality, the food court is just the food court the matter how fancy these folks tried to make it. The anchor restaurant is McDonald's and that says about everything. There was fast food varieties of Mexican food, Italian food, and of course Chinese with Japanese throne in for fun. The selection was just not that appealing but I went to the process--I suppose as other group members--and got something Japanese. Now this is the weird part, I got a drink with my lunch, the meal is about $6. .95 in my drink was a $1.95. When I tried to pay for my meal the cashier just rang up $1. 95 and I was caught in a moral dilemma. I elected to bring to the attention of the cashier that I had not been charged for my main selection. She looked at me and said," Hh, your meals been paid for". I of course was a bit taken aback trying to fathom the whole thing. The people in front of me had moved on quickly and there was no way to see who the good Samaritan had been. Some one had cranked up their karma by purchasing my lunch. I even had to take a second look at myself , hopefully I do not look too gimped out-I don't think that I did.

It's Friday morning, this morning, noon feeling pretty good. My wounds are closed, and dressed and out the door it is not too cold. However, we are between low-pressure systems there are clouds out there that day's forecast to be warm as the old low center exits in the new comes in. Tomorrow, should be the rain day. What is becoming much too usual, me stopping at Starbucks and getting something to drink. I can't believe I'm doing this but today is Friday and I stop for a cop of dark blend, to pinks and half-and-half. This is the truth as the barista hands me a tall scolding hot coffee I swing my arm and gets the top of the drink with my hand spilling the whole thing all over the countertop in the floor below--fortunately none of the liquid touched my control mechanism on my power chair or I thrive either of which could have been toast. I have for to clean up the mess they just laugh at me get to work with napkins and mop. They pour me another drink and I had out towards the door feeling chagrined but grateful that I remembered someone did something very nice for me the day before. So I thought how could I do something for somebody it is they came up the idea. I did not want to be found out by the person who I treated so I figured if I ask a barista to count 15 customers and on the 15th take the five dollars I hand the barrista buy that 15th person thIer morning drink. Now, I don't know if the barista did my request, I have no reason to believe she did not, she looked like she liked the idea. Doesn't matter because I got the good deed off my chest, recharged my karma can got on with my life: paid forward.