I admit it!
I am a sucker for a fad and if that fad helps another then even better! There I said it I am a self-loathing
follower. That said, it is not always a
bad thing. Work out plans and groups,
diets, recycling, organic/free range shopping, save the planet, and
pay-it-forward are all good things to get hooked and hyped on.
I have
always loved the concept of pay-it-forward and the movie just warmed my heart.
The news has been latent with pay-it-forward-esque acts of kindness, with
everything from surprising your single-working-mom neighbor with a freshly
plowed driveway or a $100 tip for your steak ‘n shake waitress. The food and coffee industry is an easy outlet
for random acts of kindness. It is so
easy to pick up a tab, buy a coffee for someone else, leave extra tips etc. So,
coffee houses we a natural target for “paying-it-forward”.
Though
this seems to be some sort of social consciousness awakening, it has been
around for a while in the coffee world.
In Italy you have “caffé sospeso” or suspended coffee. The idea is to buy one or two coffees for
someone else that might need one later in the day and is unable to pay. Barista’s keep track of the suspended coffees
and people come in and inquire if there are any available. Some sources say this tradition can be as
much as 100 years old and has had revival in the last few years due to economic
troubles within the EU. Bulgaria alone has
150 cafés participating in this concept and, even in Stockholm, I know of one
café encouraging the act.
Whatever the
history might be, the idea is spreading and I, for one, am a big fan. I encourage you to think of the cold person
sitting outside, the frantic mom who forgot her purse, the college student who
cannot seem to find a part time job. Maybe you have a spare couple of dollars,
or a Starbucks gift card. If you do, try
buying someone a cup-o-jo. It may not be
the most lifesaving gift of money, but kindness is contagious. The smallest acts can change how we or others
give and how we consider others.
I leave you
with this small article from Mother Nature Network.
I think this is a great notion, and love the idea of "paying it forward". It most certainly always comes back to you one way or another, and if anything, the positive "karma" boost you get form doing so more than pays for itself!
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