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Once upon a time…
It was a cold and drizzly afternoon, when a young man came across an elderly lady stranded on the side of the road. Even through the poor visibility, he could see she needed help. He pulled up behind her Mercedes and got out to see what he could do. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing there shivering in the wet. He said, “Hello, it’s OK, I’m here to help you. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”
He assessed the car and could see she had a flat tyre, so Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles on the road gravel. Soon he was able to change the tyre, getting quite dirty in the process. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, the lady rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from Newcastle and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for his kindness because her mobile phone had run out of battery.
Bryan smiled as he closed the boot of her Mercedes and the lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her at this point. She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened if he hadn’t come to her aid.
Bryan never thought twice about being paid. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, she could pay it forward. The next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed. Bryan added, “Then think of me.” He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few kilometres down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She was cold, tired and hungry after her ordeal, so she pulled in to get something to eat. Hopefully this would also take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home.
It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to dry her wet hair and offered her a blanket to sit over her legs while she waited. She had such a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was heavily pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The restaurant was surprisingly busy, yet the waitress greeted everyone with the brightest smile and warm, welcoming energy. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger… and then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change but the elderly lady was gone by the time she came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be, and then she noticed something written on a napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”
Under the napkin were four more $100 notes!
There were still tables to clear, dishes to wash, and people to serve, and the waitress made it through another day. That night when she arrived home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard….
She knew how worried her husband was and, as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered in his ear, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”
What goes around, comes around.
Life is really very simple: What we give out, we get back. Like gravity, karma is so basic that we often don’t even notice it. Whatever you send out into the world comes back to you in one way or another. It may be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but it usually happens when you least expect it, usually in a form that’s a little different from the original. How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. Sooner or later in life, we will all take our own turn being in the position we once had someone else in.
Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. When you send out goodness from yourself, or when you share that which is happy or good, it will all come back to you multiplied. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have. When you plant a seed of love, it is you that blossoms. A random act of kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life. Karma is like a boomerang. May you have many happy returns.
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.”
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Life is full of love and I find it everywhere I go. I wake up happy and excited every single day. Each day of my life is filled with joy and love. I am enthusiastic about every second of my life. I am a beacon of love, kindness and compassion. All of my relationships are positive, uplifting and filled with love and compassion. I see others as good people who are doing their best with the knowledge they have. I find opportunities to be kind and caring everywhere I look. My day is full of potential. I face the day with an open heart and an open mind. My day is full of possibilities and I trust my inner wisdom to guide the way. Today I choose to be kind, even when it’s difficult. I am safe. All is well.
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”
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