A slap upside the face......

[kenw]

Sitting in the line at Whataburger this morning (#9, egg and potato, with Dr Pepper, thank you) I noticed a particular sticker on the SUV in front of me. Well, all sorts of stuff was flying thru my head, much of it unflattering..... bumper stickers are a super way to reinforce stereotypes, you know.

And they are accurate, right? Her bumper sticker was just stating fact, right? But I had no experience with her, no nothing other than that bumper sticker to give me any other impression.

I pride myself in being able to reach the most profound and absolute conclusions with the most obscure data......I have it down to an artform!

So eventually, she gets her order and pulls out. I pull up, hand the debit card to the lady at the window.

"No, she already paid for it."

"Huh?", I responded. No Dr Pepper yet so I'm still a bit foggy....

That lady already paid for yours", pointing to the SUV now pulling onto the street. "She said to put your's on her ticket."

I wanted to crawl under the car and have someone put it in gear.....no one knew my thoughts but me. And that's all it took.

Flustered, embarassed and looking for a way to rationalize my miserable existence.....I told her,

"Well, then let me pay for his", motioning to the guy behind me.

"Well, ok," she said, "This is neat."

(Lady, you have no idea how neat......)

I got my comeupance: His tab was a bit more than mine would have been.

I have no idea how long the pay-it-forward party had been going and no idea how long it lasted.

Maybe she liked the music I was playing (loudly, too!) Maybe she liked my car (a stretch...) or thought I was cute (a REAL stretch!)... I dunno. Or maybe she just did it for no other reason that just to do it. Ouch.

BUT....I know I did it out of guilt. Pure, 100%, in-my-face guilt. Guilt is a powerful taskmaster.

I'm just glad I have been forgiven. Today was a reminder. A not-so-subtle reminder, but I'm not real good at subtle.

Have a great day. Please.

[dhphoto]

Very interesting story...I know I've felt about an inch tall many times.

[Night Owl]

So, what was her sticker?

[ara.bentley]

I like this story - thanks for sharing. I just went through a drive-thru and never gave the person in front of me or behind me a single thought. Maybe I should pay a little more attention ...

[AndrewCCM]

Great story. Wow.

[movingex]

Originally Posted by kenw

Sitting in the line at Whataburger this morning (#9, egg and potato, with Dr Pepper, thank you) I noticed a particular sticker on the SUV in front of me. Well, all sorts of stuff was flying thru my head, much of it unflattering..... bumper stickers are a super way to reinforce stereotypes, you know.

And they are accurate, right? Her bumper sticker was just stating fact, right? But I had no experience with her, no nothing other than that bumper sticker to give me any other impression.

I pride myself in being able to reach the most profound and absolute conclusions with the most obscure data......I have it down to an artform!

So eventually, she gets her order and pulls out. I pull up, hand the debit card to the lady at the window.

"No, she already paid for it."

"Huh?", I responded. No Dr Pepper yet so I'm still a bit foggy....

That lady already paid for yours", pointing to the SUV now pulling onto the street. "She said to put your's on her ticket."

I wanted to crawl under the car and have someone put it in gear.....no one knew my thoughts but me. And that's all it took.

Flustered, embarassed and looking for a way to rationalize my miserable existence.....I told her,

"Well, then let me pay for his", motioning to the guy behind me.

"Well, ok," she said, "This is neat."

(Lady, you have no idea how neat......)

I got my comeupance: His tab was a bit more than mine would have been.

I have no idea how long the pay-it-forward party had been going and no idea how long it lasted.

Maybe she liked the music I was playing (loudly, too!) Maybe she liked by car (a stretch...) or thought I was cute (a REAL stretch!)... I dunno. Or maybe she just did it for no other reason that just to do it. Ouch.

BUT....I know I did it out of guilt. Pure, 100%, in-my-face guilt. Guilt is a powerful taskmaster.

I'm just glad I have been forgiven. Today was a reminder. A not-so-subtle reminder, but I'm not real good at subtle.

Have a great day. Please.

Did I miss the part about what the bumber sticker said?

[kenw]

What the bumper sticker said shall remain known only unto me.....otherwise it might get back to her!

and really, what it said is immaterial.

[SaSha]

cool stuff. thanks for sharing.

[Paulo]

Great story, Ken. Thanks for sharing.

[snidow]

I had someone do that for me once, it's always a bit surprising when it happens. Random acts of kindness, it's really a lot of fun sometimes. Thanks for sharing your story, I've often done the same as you, thinking something of someone based on something simple as a bumper sticker and heck it might not even be her car.

[Howard Barlow]

Heck, I wish you would identify the sticker. I would follow her around, about meal time.

[Rson]

A La Starbucks a few years ago

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2...f848510458.txt

[René]

Great story Ken!

[Frazzled LaShawn]

Someone once paid for me in a drive thru...so now when I am having a really crummy day I pay for someone else's. It is a great pick me up!

[d2creative]

I don't get.
Why did she pay for yours?
What did her sticker say?
What were you thinking of her?
Was she hot?
Was she eyeing you through her rearview mirror?
Do you think your facial expressions were to blame for your "free" meal?
Do you look homeless?
Did she leave you her #?
Too many unanswered questions.