Let's Pay It Foward

The last few days have been TOUGH to say the least. With the unfortunate events in Las Vegas, the passing of a music legend in Tom Petty, and just normal day to day stress, its hard to find an escape.

Dealing with these hardships is something we all cope with differently. Some of us may go for a run or workout, some may just sit back and listen to music, some of us may spend more time with family and friends. I found myself questioning what I could do to take my mind off things.

As I walked home from the studios yesterday listening to some Tom Petty and Josh Turner, my headphones provided me with a little bit of an escape. An escape from what has been happening around me over the past few days, it was enjoyable if albeit only a few seconds.

As I cracked the mic yesterday to open my show, I was overcome with a rush of emotions. Usually I am pretty good at putting a smile on and trying to be the positive person for my listeners, but yesterday was different. I so wanted to be that fleeting second of escape for someone in their car on the drive home, but it was hard. I wanted to be a positive note in what was a negative song, I just wanted to help.

Halfway through my thoughts on what had happened the day before, an idea came upon me. My idea was to ‘Pay it Forward.’ I know I couldn’t hop on a plane to Las Vegas and donate blood or volunteer my time. I know I couldn’t make an immediate impact on the victims of the Las Vegas events (even though there are some great GoFundMe’s floating around the internet). Even though I couldn’t do these exact things I knew I could ‘Pay it Forward.’

The quickest way to ‘Pay it Forward?’ Buy someone’s coffee. I know it sounds like a miniscule gesture, but it could have a big impact on someone. A quick smile and a $2 cup of coffee gift isn’t going to put a giant dent in my wallet, but it could impact somebody’s day. It could make someone who has had a rough start to the morning, be put on a path to have a better second half of the day.

Now I know buying someone’s morning coffee isn’t going to have a massive effect or cancel the events of Sunday night’s tragedy, but it can start something that can grow. If we are kind to one another just a little bit at a time, we can change the direction of someone’s day, and they can go on to help someone else. And so on, and so on.

I may sound hopeful and maybe a little sappy, but ‘Paying it Forward’ could be the start we need. Be nice to one another one day at time, and we can change the course of our world.