So there I was, standing in line at a gas station in Murfreesboro, TN. Soda in one hand; money in the other. Mind undoubtedly several miles away at the show grounds [Show Report].
Suddenly, the dude in front of me tells the clerk to ring up my soda. He’s going to buy it for me. Huh? What? He turns to me, explains that he tries to do something for someone every day, no matter how little.
On the contrary, I said. Not at all little. The generosity far exceeds the cost. He pays. I stand by in stunned bemusement. I thank him. We part ways.
My biggest problem? Getting up the nerve to pay it forward.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
You could always do it anonymously. Toll booth on highway. Check for another table at a restaurant. $5 off the total for the person behind you at the grocery store.
Lovely grace note. Especially needed today.
Thank you.
Louise, those are great ideas too. Don’t be nervous to try it in a line though, seeing people’s surprise is a nice feeling. I have noticed sometimes when I simply thank someone for holding a door open for me, it shocks them, but brings on a smile. I’ll even randomly complement someone, say a cashier has pretty nail polish on, I’ll tell her. Make someone stop and smile, and it helps their day as well as yours.
Love these kind of stories and the ideas. Definitely need to incorporate them into my own life. I do make a point to compliment people regularly/strangers and absolutely to say thank you and smile at people. But I want to add those surprise payments too.
Inspired by a blog post about paying other people’s entry fees (below), I have done so a few times, both horse and otherwise. However, the acts have been anonymous through the organizers. Anonymous is easy. I feel this incident has challenged me to act in person. To acknowledge a fellow human by saying ‘Here, this is for you.’ Not as easy.
http://www.fatcyclist.com/2015/09/29/just-a-quick-note-about-100mon-and-someones-awesome-generosity/