Pay it Forward

I’m sitting here trying to think of something interesting to write, and you all know when I’m at a loss for words, usually I just end up word-vomiting all over my blog and get super deep. So before we chat about this fall floral maxi dress, let’s talk about kindness.

For whatever reason, lately the whole “pay it forward” thing has been coming up quite a bit for me. And it seems to be directly related to something I read a few weeks ago that I found on Pinterest that I just can’t seem to forget.

Always tip more than you intended to. 

This stood out to me for a few reasons.

First of all, when it comes to tipping I’m the FIRST to whip out my calculator to make sure I’m tipping exactly 15%-20%. No more, no less. I can’t help but think to myself “ughhhhh do I have to leave a tip?!” Of course, anyone in the hospitality/service industry HATES people like me. But it comes down to an overspending struggle for me, not an appreciate struggle.

Second of all, when I reallllllyy think about tipping, adding another dollar or two, or actually tipping for that $5 iced latte or bagel to-go order isn’t going to make or break my bank account. But it is going to make whoever served it to me’s day. So why should I sit here and make excuses?

Generosity is something that we ALL know goes a long way, but we definitely struggle with.

I’ll be the first to admit it’s hard for me to over-tip, especially at the valet…but I’m speaking from experience that when you do, it literally hits these people to their core.

The other day, I only had a $5 bill in my purse when I went to pick my car up from a hotel valet. The car was not more than 10 feet from where I was standing, but the man still ran over to grab it as quickly as he could. At first, I thought “ugh I wish I had $1.” But then I decided to hand over the $5 bill. The man literally said “oh my goodness thank you so much you are such a nice, GOOD person. thank you SO much.” The joy he had on his face when I drove away was worth way more than $5.

For Brennan’s birthday, I decided to chill one of my bottles of Miraval before the party – I thought, what the heck, it’s just a $22 bottle of wine…I should enjoy it and share it with my friends! (This was a struggle for me because I have SUCH a hard time opening up whatever bottle of Miraval I have at my house because it’s pricier than most of the bottles I grab for at TJ’s). No more than 2 hours after that thought, did a guest’s girlfriend show up with TWO BOTTLES of MIRAVAL for ME! It was Brennan’s birthday, yet she brought me two bottles of wine. I couldn’t help but think it was a God wink for that slight (ridiculous) struggle I had inside my head before deciding that sharing was the better option.

And finally, this past Saturday night, a woman who was leaving her seats at the bar my friend and I were waiting at walked up to us (quite drunk but that’s beside the point) and said DRINKS on me, ladies, I’m paying it forward. For NO. REASON. We had 0 interaction with this woman prior-to her paying for our drinks, and it was HER birthday that night! Yet there she was, buying our drinks for us. That moment was the cherry on top for this recurring theme.

No matter where you’re at in life, financially, physically, mentally, or emotionally, there is always something you can do that shows someone you care. Even if it’s just tipping another dollar, of $5, or paying them a free compliment.

A little bit goes a LONG way, and each of us has the ability to change someone’s day with just one act of kindness.

Amidst the craziness that is happening in our world today, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be grateful for our health, safety, and even our jobs (though we may hate them, we’re still so lucky to have them).

This blog is just a proclamation of gratitude for the ability to always tip more than I intended, and to keep paying it forward as much as I can. And I hope you will, too.

Thanks for listening 😉

PS. loving this floral maxi dress from Sanctuary Clothing – it is the BEST fall floral maxi dress. Enjoy!

Dress, c/o Sanctuary Clothing

Photography by Clinetography