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The other day I had to take the Happy Baby to a doctor appointment.
I wasn’t feeling up to the long drive and knew I could get there quicker if I took the turnpike, but the turnpike is a toll road and I do not have an E-Pass.
I called the Happy Hubby and asked him if he would mind if I spent the extra 2.50 it would take to save me about 15 minutes each way.
He agreed.
As I set out on the open road, making excellent time, I had a thought as the approaching toll booth signs caught my eye.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to surprise someone by paying their toll for them?
The thought made me almost giddy I was so excited!
I told the Happy Baby what we were going to do and he kicked his feet in approval. 🙂
I got my money ready, rolled down the window and said to the lady working in the booth, “Is it okay if I pay for the person behind me?”
As I drove away with a big dopey grin on my face, imagining the car behind me’s reactions, my eyes caught sight of all the vehicles racing through the toll booth with their E-Passes.
Watching them sail through the toll without so much as a chirping beep in their car to acknowledge that a payment had been made, I realized that if I had had an E-Pass, too, I would not have been able to bless someone that day.
What is an E-Pass, really? A small device that electronically makes payments for you as you whiz through toll booths – no slowing down, no rolling down your window, no fumbling for spare change, and most important, no interrupting your busy schedule.
The E-Pass was invented to make our lives easier.
But at what cost?
Sometimes it seems that the very things created to bring convenience to our hectic lives are the very things that rob us of an awareness of the opportunity to be kind.
iPhones make us distracted and we forget to smile at people or engage them in conversation when we are out and about because our noses are always in the latest app.
Automatic doors prevent opportunities to hold them for others.
Emails make it less likely that we’ll put pen to paper and send something a little more personal via snail mail.
Texting means we don’t actually have to talk with people anymore.
I know there are a lot of loop holes in these theories, I mean, I am in looove with texting as much as the next person and those automatic doors keep the Happy Buddy entertained for hours at a time and I suppose without the ease of the turnpike itself I wouldn’t even be writing this post, but the point is sometimes we need to take a step back from the quicker way in order to embrace the kinder way.
When I drove away from the toll booth that day, before I knew it the car behind me had gunned it to catch up to me.
They rolled down their windows as we passed each other and yelled a loud thank you.
I waved back and wondered if maybe they had decided to pay the toll for the people behind them.
Because when you are the recipient of kindness, it kind of makes you want to keep it going. The whole pay it forward concept is totally real.
But even if they didn’t, maybe that one surprise in their day gave them just what they needed to press on in the hectic pace of life.
A reminder that God loves them.
He works through people who choose to be open to the opportunity.
I guess I am not sure what I am telling you to do here… Put down the iPhone? Unplug a little more? Write instead of type?
Or maybe just – especially as we head into the nuttiness of the holiday season – slow down a little bit (choose the toll booth every once in awhile) and ask the Lord to open your eyes as to how you might be a blessing to someone along the way.
He can do so much with a willing heart… and a buck and a quarter. 🙂
*For other creative ways to show kindness, check out THIS POST.*
“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone…” Galatians 6:10
I have tears in my eyes. You have inspired my, once again, to do good…to take the time to share God’s love with those around me. That’s really all that matters. I’m so glad I *took the time* to read your post today. 🙂
Excellent post. Truly excellent. We talk about this alot at our house, and how we often will see people “hanging out” or “eating dinner out” and every last one of the people has their face in their phone. When did we get so important that we have to check out phone every three seconds? When did the person across from us become so UNimportant? Yes, ease and convenience is wonderful but I think you’re right that we need to take a step back and consider the costs sometimes. 🙂 You did a great thing paying the toll for the person behind you, and although we don’t have toll roads anywhere in my state (MN), you’ve inspired me to find a way to do the same thing here. 🙂
Awesome Julie! I had a similar experience recently. I had this thought that it would be cool to bless someone with gas. I mean, it’s so expensive now! But it’s not an EASY thing to give with the insta-pay at the pump. I had thought I could run my card through for someone but the opportunity hadn’t presented itself. Lo and behold, one day I stopped for gas and the stupid pump wasn’t taking credit cards! I went inside and they couldn’t take them inside either. I was literally getting $5 of gas to make it to carmax to sell my car and I had this added inconvenience!. Well, the guy behind me wanted “$10 on #2” and he ONLY had a credit card. He was so frustrated when the lady said “cash only”. I got so excited (not Julie-excited… Just MB-excited)! I said “I’m going to pay for your gas!” I handed the lady $10. He was so thankful-even said this was the second gas station he’d been to. He had a small truck full of passengers. So I was hoping that I blessed a whole truckload of people with the small gesture. All thanks to the inconvenience of paying inside!!!
This reminds me of a story a friend posted a couple weeks ago. She was at a Starbucks ( Pembroke Pines) and someone paid for her coffee. The cashier told her that she was the 30 something car that had it paid forward! Of course she paid for the person behind her. I was amazed by this and especially in South Florida where in my opinion most people are very self involved and not aware. The story made me smile all day!!
Michele, what an AWESOME story!!! I loved that you shared that!!!!
That’s awesome.
So wonderful! Thank you so much for being so eloquent and able to open our eyes to God’s Kingdom here on earth.
Thank you for the reminder to slow down life, get personal again and think outside the box. I am thinking the Happy Hubby won’t mind the extra money spent on this one, if so send him my way and I will talk to him on your behalf. I so appreciate you. You are amazing to me, your love for Jesus oozes and your love for others sparkles all over the place.
So true so true!!! i think these are reasons for such rude behavior being produced in out teens. They have grown up in a lack of personal touches and gentleness in their every day lives. Get unplugged from technology and engage in kindness and compassion even just for that tired cashier or waitress. I t will make a difference.
Your post is so timely…I was just telling my husband this morning about a recent trip to our local mall, how everyone is so into what they are doing, and are rude and it left me feeling so alienated, that I couldn’t wait to get home to feel like a “somebody” again who matters! I hope the kindness you are spreading in this cold world will come back to you, and will ripple out to all of us and will help us be more kind to everyone. You are a gem, Julie!
Several months ago we were at a restaurant about to eat lunch, when a nearby family caught my eye. I was about to comment to my husband that it was nice to see families praying in public, when I noticed that their heads were bowed because they were all looking at cell phones. LOL
Also wanted to point out that the $2.50 for tolls probably saved you at least $2.50 in gas! Double win ; )
Love what you did! But just have to say…am I the only person bothered that you had to call happy hubby to get permission to spend a whole two dollars and fifty cents to make your life easier? Is happy hubby a control freak? It just put the hairs up on the back of my neck….if this was my daughter I would tell her to run!
Sweet Karen, it isn’t about control at all… The Happy Hubby is the leader of our Happy Home… I was simply trying to respect him and our budget by asking him if it was okay to spend the money… IF he thought we could afford the splurge. We do not have a lot of money as it is, so I never want to be selfish or frivolous. My heart was to honor him as the provider of our home by asking. He wouldn’t have minded one bit if I hadn’t asked, but I did, because I love him and want him to know that I desire to spend the money he works so hard to earn for our family in a wise manner. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by the Fairy. xoxo
I have mono and am being forced to “rest” – you know, with a 4 year old and nearly 2 year old? 😉 But, I gotta say, God uses circumstances like this to get our attention and say, “Hey, slow down! It’s good for you”. And I’m making use of it! Great reminder, glad you enjoyed it. =)
I actually take the Turnpike everyday coming and going from work. I have been doing this for 7 months and although I haven’t paid for the person behind me, I have gotten to know the Toll Booth Ladies. The Turnpike schedules their workers for the same day every week and I have gotten to know their names. They now have nicknames for me, Sunshine, Sweetheart & Lovey. I believe in the last 7 months they have become accustomed to my face and smiley attitude towards them and I bring a little Jesus to them every morning and afternoon. Loved your Blog today and the reminder that it is not what we have but what we can give that makes a difference to those around us and after all isn’t that the reason why we are here. Jane
Thanks so much for explaining…..and what you did I’m sure has set off a wonderful domino effect of your readers, myself included to play it forward with sweet kindnesses!
LOVED this… thanks for sharing!
Very wise. 🙂