Generosity

For many years I lived by the adage: generosity is never wasted.  During my days living without a roof over my head in 2004 & 2005, I took a mental look back and decided a more apt motto for me would be: generosity is always wasted.

Now-a-days people use an expression that irks me: pay it forward. Do not know why that is so, it just does.   People also talk about Karma; what goes around comes around. I did too for a very long time. Street musings went two ways.

Why me, Lord? Remember that time...

I could come up with many reasons for why me. "I never did anything like that to anyone," was the flip side of that coin. The Karma people say that those who do those who harmed us ~ that is their karma. Okay, so someone robs me, someone will rob them. Someday. But since I did not rob someone, why would I be robbed? Unless it is payback from a past lifetime. Yet it is best, methinks, to err on the side of kindness and generosity.

Not to "pay it forward," but knowing it is better to do unto others as one would have done unto them.

That said, saw Larry as I walked to Shelter H at downtown Transit Mall. He rolled his wheelchair alongside me, then stopped. I thought he was going to jay-ride across the street. He complained about the new law ~ smoking is prohibited within 20 feet of a bus stop.

"How do you know what 20 feet is?" I queried, then started walking, counting my wide footsteps, "One foot, two foot." He smiled and told me about so and so who got a ticket when he lit up 18' from a bus stop. How did the cop know it was 18 feet away? The cop did exactly what I did. Or so Larry said his friend said.

A man dressed in uniform approached us. I thought he was a cop come to give Larry a ticket for smoking within 20' of a bus stop. May have been a security guard. The guy was all smiles, and I was momentarily wondering how he knew what we were discussing: laws, laws, and more laws. Did not catch what he said to Larry. He handed him a box that I thought was a McDonald's apple pie. Then he handed me one.

What a nice surprise ~ Mint Meltaways. I miss those days when I used to do things like that. Brighten someone's day with an unexpected gift, be it ever so small. My box was open with only a few of the candies inside, but a nice treat just the same. So, yeah, generosity is usually always a good thing.