“Take My Money!”
My wife and I took our kids out to a popular restaurant one night. I realize now that we had been biking and looked pretty dirty but we had such a good time that day I didn’t notice or think of cleaning up before going out for a quick meal.
We were no sooner seated when a waitress comes up and hands me an envelope with a $100 gift certificate from “some people who thought we could use it.” I tear out of the restaurant to the parking lot and actually find the lone couple who gifted us.
I try to give it back and thank them as we’re not at all hurting for money but just happened to look a bit messy.
They won’t hear of it. So karma is karma, and I went to the cashier and broke the $100 gift certificate into a pair of $50s and purchased another pair of $50s.
At the end of our meal I walked around with two of my (grubby) kids and let them choose who to give the four $50 gift certificates to. When questioned I simply replied, “pay it forward, people.”
I really hope at least one person did so. I’d like to imagine everyone standing in line for gift certificates, screaming, “TAKE MY MONEY!!!” and handing them out as they left the restaurant.