Paying it forward: Why I Believe

Why I believe in paying it forward:

Exhibit A:
Back in August, I find the cutest silver heart ring on a picnic bench at the Rosendale Rec Center. It fits me perfectly. Dada helps me realize that someone must have forgotten it there and could come back for it. I leave it where I found it so that the ring owner will know right where to find it. That night on our way to a dinner for two, Dada and I find a Thomas the Train table (made by Imaginarium), including tracks, trains and accessories on the side of the road in New Paltz FOR FREE! The people came out to tell us that yes it was FREE and we thanked them profusely before stuffing the entire table (broken but later fixed by Dada a.k.a. Jack of All Trades) into our CRV and driving happily away (well I was happy, but Dada was mumbling something about not wanting to fix the stupid table that he didn't want to take in the first place).  Earlier that day I had been seriously considering spending too much money on Thomas the Train tracks and trains because Cole loved the table at Barnes and Noble so much. I don't even know where I would've put it all. Thankfully, we now have the table as a permanent fixture in our insulated and renovated garage where Cole plays with it whenever it's raining outside.

I will never forget our good fortune.

Exhibit B:
Last month, we go through bins and bins baby clothes, keep some for Baby Girl, and give the really boyish clothes (two garbage bags full) to our friend Emma, whose son is about 8 months old. Then last week in a seemingly unrelated event, I get a Facebook message from my friend who is done having children. She has a ton of baby gear she wants to give away. Most of it is stuff we will need for Baby Girl. We went today to pick it all up. We couldn't be happier with our new baby stuff! So many things we can cross off our list of things we thought we were going to have to buy - all thanks to her generosity.

Exhibit C:
I pay $3 too much for a used doctor kit for Cole. I figure the seller needs it more than me. Cole and I are out for a Strider ride later that day and my neighbor stops us to give us the cutest little fake tool belt her son once wore in a Halloween costume. Tools and everything.

I'm sure there are so many more examples from our lives that are a result (direct or indirect) of paying it forward. You get the idea though. Being kind and generous to others usually means you will eventually reap the benefits in so many ways. It's one of the things I try to teach Cole. I let him know that many of the things he owns - clothes and toys- were once owned by someone else who gave him their things. So it's okay to give away his things. Of course the latter concept is the hardest for a two-year-old to accept, especially with the "Mine" mentality he is in lately. He will barely even share anything with his own parents, let alone someone he doesn't know. However, as he gets older he's slowly but surely coming to terms with it.

Playing with trains requires a lot of concentration.

Once we get closer to my due date, I will post some pictures of our bedroom, which very soon will include the new pre-owned beautiful bassinet we now have.