Paying it Forward, With Coffee.

Happy Monday --

I remembered hearing about this story at the beginning of the holiday season, so I thought I'd do some research and dig it up so I could share it with all of you. This is EXACTLY the type of thing I am talking about. I will post the article below:

What started as a small gesture of holiday cheer Wednesday, in 24 hours, grew to involve about 500 coffee drinkers in a chain of giving in Marysville.

At about 8 a.m. Wednesday, a woman purchasing a drink at a Starbucks drive-through at 3725 116th Street Northeast offered to buy the drinks for the customers in line behind her.

She told the employee who was working the window to wish the folks happy holidays, and she drove away, said the store's assistant manager Michele Case.

Those customers were so touched that they paid for the order of the folks behind them.

Countless gingerbread lattes and peppermint mochas later, the spirit of reciprocity carried on.

As of 8 a.m. today, the line of giving had grown to involve 490 customers picking up tabs for those next in line at the store's drive-through and lobby, said Case.

Case said it shows that a small gesture can have a big impact.

"Each time people were just so excited," Case said. Often people paid more than needed to cover the tab, and that money was added to a pool for the cause. When people were unable to cover others' totals, the pooled money was used.

Any leftover money in the pot will go toward buying toys for the store's toy drive, said Case.

Starbucks spokeswoman Tricia Moriarty said these "infectious" giving acts have been happening across the country — recently, there were all-day giving chains at Starbucks in Pittsburg and in Florida.

Responding to rumblings that the pay-it-forward acts in the area are actually manufactured by the coffee giant's public-relations department rather than its customers, Moriarty said the acts are "100 percent organic."

"In terms of thinking that it's staged ... it truly isn't," Moriarty said. "People are just inspired to do these acts on their own."

Starbucks is, of course, thrilled by those acts, she said.

Tales spread across the Puget Sound about coffee-drinkers warming each others hearts — and tummies — with the buying of beverages.

Kirkland resident Kelly Radcliff was a recipient of another customer's goodwill when she went to a Starbucks drive-through Thursday morning in Issaquah on East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast.

She said she didn't think to pay for the people behind her, but instead tipped the barista with what would have been her tab.

Rene Jeffers said the same thing happened to her earlier this week at a Puyallup store on South Meridian Street.

"It truly did put a smile on my face," she said — enough of a smile to do the same for the next person in the drive-through line.

Last year, Starbucks initiated a "Pass the Cheer" campaign urging people to do small things around the holiday season for others.

"These types of things really happen in our stores all the time," Starbucks' Moriarty said.

(http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004084452_webstarbucks20m.html)

JG

Number One

So here it is, my first act of kindness. This is what originally inspired me to create this blog, so I've been waiting until it was up and running before I posted it anywhere.

I got back from Mexico about a week back. Puerto Vallarta, to be exact. It's pretty much how you'd imagine it. Always sunny, hot, lots of beach. It was the last day there, and I was sitting at an outdoor restaurant eating shrimp tacos. Delicious. Anyway, I was sitting there when I noticed an elderly man with a walker passing by. When I say passing by, I mean inching. His wife was at his side, and I swear she must have been the most patient person I've ever seen. I've seen people walk slow, but this was REALLY slow. By the time I finished my meal, he was still right in front of me. I felt bad, but I didn't think there was anything I could do. Right before I was about to leave, two teenage boys (probably 16 years old) approached the man and asked him where he was headed. Just then, the wife takes away his walker, and the two teenage boys lift the man up and carry him off to where he was headed. As funny a sight as it was, I was floored.

I hope that's a good way to kick this blog off to a good start. Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have just sat there watching and should've tried to make his life a bit easier, just as those two kids did. I guess if there's anything you could take away from this post, it's that there's ALWAYS something you can do.

JG

Introduction

Greetings --

My name is Josh Golden. Some of you may know me, some of you may not. I'm a film student currently located in the great city of Chicago. I'd like to think of myself as a young filmmaker, however true or untrue that may be. I think what attracts me to film is its complete suspension of reality. I - and many others - love movies because they show us a world different from reality. I think that in times like these, that's something people need. In times of fear and trouble, it's normal for some people to look for joy and hope wherever they can find it. I mean, look at what's happening to our planet: war, famine, terrorism, overpopulation, global warming. Deep down we all sense that something's not right. I'm not much for blogging, this is really my first time. I thought that in times like these, since we hear so much about death and destruction, it might be good to be reminded about those little glimmers of good that still occur all around us. I truly believe that man is inherently good, and I am creating this blog to remind others, and myself, that there IS still good in the world. As often as I can (hopefully once a day) I plan to post one act of kindness that I witness, hear, or read about. I encourage everyone else to do the same. It doesn't matter how small or big the act is, as long as it's a good one. This is not some kind of political or religious statement, I'm not a religious person. I just believe in the goodness of man, and in rough times, I feel that it's important to be reminded of that.

JG