Head
November-5th-2007, 09:51 PM
So, I'm not a religious man by any stretch, but I do have personal beliefs. One being that, for the most part, the average everyday stranger pretty much sucks.
My whole life, I've generally noticed that more often than not, people are out for their own benefit, and they could care less about anyone around them.
For years, I have been everyone's go-to guy. For help with relationship problems, questions on finances, politics and religion (irony is a *****), and for help with anything from lending money or repairing things, to cooking for them and helping them move. I have always been more than willing to do this without issue, never asking for or expecting any type of repayment.
Often, i have wondered if all that I do for others is worth more than just my own satisfaction that I enriched somebody's life, because most people I encounter are selfish and ungrateful.
Tonight, all that went out the window. Something happened that made me realize, "hey, people don't suck."
I went with my wife and children to Wal-Mart to get some groceries a little while ago. We loaded up the cart with pretty much every damn thing we saw to be honest with you. We even threw things in there that we normally never buy, EVER, just to spoil ourselves. No particular reason, and thought nothing of it.
After about two hours of shopping for food and clothes for the kids, we got in line. And as anyone who's been to a Super Wal-Mart in Virginia Beach knows, there was about 4 lines open, and 100 people in line. So we sat and we waited. We were in line for what seemed like an eternity, then it was finally our turn. We scanned, bagged and loaded all the groceries as usual. My daughter started talking about how excited she was about some of the treats we got her for her school lunches, and then the total came up. Just a hair under $300.
I went to pull out my wallet and swipe my credit card, because my paycheck had not cleared yet. The card didn't scan properly. I tried it again, same result. The cashier looked at me with a dumbfounded look and said, "maybe you don't have enough credit available." I wanted to smack the smirk off his face, as I called to find out I in fact had $5k+ available. Swiped again, no dice. So I gave him the card, he punched in the number, and multiple times it came back number not valid.
As the smile disappeared from my daughter's face, I was upset at the situation, and confused as to why it would not go through. We were just about to give up and leave, when the lady behind us, a total stranger who we had not even said hello to, pulled $300 cash from her wallet and paid for our groceries.
To say the least, I was in complete shock, and didn't even know how to respond. I looked at her with my jaw on the floor, and said a very stunned "thank you so much." My wife teared up, and we asked if we could have a number or address to repay her, and she said not to pay it a second thought, she wouldn't hear anything of repayment. She smiled, said Merry Christmas, and told as to have a very good night.
We left in amazement that a total stranger would do something like this, and I left with a renewed spirit in the human race. There are great people out there, and you never know when you will be graced with the presence of someone so selfless.
It's a night and experience I will not soon forget.
Be good to your fellow man. Come to find out, they do deserve it.
My whole life, I've generally noticed that more often than not, people are out for their own benefit, and they could care less about anyone around them.
For years, I have been everyone's go-to guy. For help with relationship problems, questions on finances, politics and religion (irony is a *****), and for help with anything from lending money or repairing things, to cooking for them and helping them move. I have always been more than willing to do this without issue, never asking for or expecting any type of repayment.
Often, i have wondered if all that I do for others is worth more than just my own satisfaction that I enriched somebody's life, because most people I encounter are selfish and ungrateful.
Tonight, all that went out the window. Something happened that made me realize, "hey, people don't suck."
I went with my wife and children to Wal-Mart to get some groceries a little while ago. We loaded up the cart with pretty much every damn thing we saw to be honest with you. We even threw things in there that we normally never buy, EVER, just to spoil ourselves. No particular reason, and thought nothing of it.
After about two hours of shopping for food and clothes for the kids, we got in line. And as anyone who's been to a Super Wal-Mart in Virginia Beach knows, there was about 4 lines open, and 100 people in line. So we sat and we waited. We were in line for what seemed like an eternity, then it was finally our turn. We scanned, bagged and loaded all the groceries as usual. My daughter started talking about how excited she was about some of the treats we got her for her school lunches, and then the total came up. Just a hair under $300.
I went to pull out my wallet and swipe my credit card, because my paycheck had not cleared yet. The card didn't scan properly. I tried it again, same result. The cashier looked at me with a dumbfounded look and said, "maybe you don't have enough credit available." I wanted to smack the smirk off his face, as I called to find out I in fact had $5k+ available. Swiped again, no dice. So I gave him the card, he punched in the number, and multiple times it came back number not valid.
As the smile disappeared from my daughter's face, I was upset at the situation, and confused as to why it would not go through. We were just about to give up and leave, when the lady behind us, a total stranger who we had not even said hello to, pulled $300 cash from her wallet and paid for our groceries.
To say the least, I was in complete shock, and didn't even know how to respond. I looked at her with my jaw on the floor, and said a very stunned "thank you so much." My wife teared up, and we asked if we could have a number or address to repay her, and she said not to pay it a second thought, she wouldn't hear anything of repayment. She smiled, said Merry Christmas, and told as to have a very good night.
We left in amazement that a total stranger would do something like this, and I left with a renewed spirit in the human race. There are great people out there, and you never know when you will be graced with the presence of someone so selfless.
It's a night and experience I will not soon forget.
Be good to your fellow man. Come to find out, they do deserve it.