Monday, June 07, 2010

Pay It Forward 2: Giving Cupcakes is Fun and Again, No One Dies

In keeping with my recent Starbucks Pay It Forward Experience, I once again tried to do good and share with others. Again, this was also a result of fate. You see, there is this spot at the top of the off ramp on the freeway by our house where there is always a homeless person sitting there with a sign that says "please help. homeless and hungry." Do you know how bad you can feel, especially in the summer, when you are sitting in your nice air-conditioned car waiting at the stop light and someone is hot and hungry right next to you? Well, you can feel like a jackass.

The thing is, I rarely have any food in my car. Heck, I rarely have anything to drink either. So I never have anything to offer. B has gone and given leftover holiday food and other items to the guy before but I have never had the opportunity.

Until the other day.

It was a Friday and I was driving home from work with a paper plate full of wonderfully delicious carrot cupcakes that a coworker had brought in just for me. While stopped at the light, it suddenly dawned on me that I had something to give! So I rolled down my window and held out a cupcake. The guy immediately ran over and when he saw it was a cupcake, his eyes just lit up. I told him it was my birthday (yes useless information) and that I wanted to share my cupcakes with him. He graciously wished me a happy birthday and ran back to his place to eat his cupcake with a huge grin on his face.

And I felt good.

Sure it probably didn't cure his hunger. Sure it wasn't the healthiest thing. But it was food; fun food and probably something he didn't get very often. Hell, at that point I wouldn't have cared if he was conning me* and wasn't really homeless.

Everyone deserves a cupcake.




*My Mom, upon hearing this story, cautioned me on being conned and putting myself in danger by rolling down my window for a strange guy and that I could have been killed. All very valid points, but I try to keep at least a small semblance of faith in the human race and try to exercise caution with every action. Everyone deserves a cupcake!

6 important things being said:

Kacie said...

I don't think anyone can kill anyone who just gave them a cupcake!

Also, happy birthday!

Jennifer said...

Awww, that is so nice! And so nice your co-worker made cupcakes just for you. We do not have any homeless people on our freeway ramps, however, someone asked us for $3 at the casino the other day to take the bus home. It was a very long story about why he didn't have $3 and how his friend didn't show up as planned and how he knew he shouldn't have spent all his money, etc. I would have given him $20 just to stop explaining it all to me.

j'lynn said...

Awe...this is so sweet of you! :) Karma baby, karma... Psst...next time have some ice cold milk to go with those cupcakes! hehehehe ;)

Katelin said...

a cupcake is always a good thing to share to make anyone's day. nicely done :)

Debi said...

Yes I am proud of you and I know he really enjoyed that, but just remember to be careful.

( I bet he told his wife when he went to his car parked 1 block away and drove home. that he didn't want dessert tonite, that some nice lady gave him a delicious homemade cupcake and he was just going to walk on the treadmill and watch cable - ROFL)

*~Dani~* said...

Kacie - let's hope not. That would be super tragic. Thank you for the birthday wishes!

Jennifer - usually we have to share a cake or other item with other people in our birthday months, but since there were just two of us and she wanted bumpy cake (gross) someone made me carrot cake cupcakes. So yummy. Also, that $3 guy? I think B has seen him at the gas station by our house every day for a year. He could have walked home by now!

jlynn - I cannot even imagine how I would ever have ice cold milk in my car driving. Or it would be a gallon and would totally dwarf the tiny cupcake. Ha!

Katelin - I agree, girl! Thanks :)

Debi - so cynical. You must take after your daughter ;)

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