The title speaks words. I learned this phrase while reading comments on a social media sight. They have come to mean a lot to me honestly.
I don't know how many of you have heard of the site, but www.reddit.com is one of my favorite websites on the internet. It's a social media site, but has a very personal side with it's comments. It just depends on the 'subreddits' you join, and how you view the site I guess... but I digress..
This morning, I had plans to go to Indianapolis.. well I myself had to sign some paperwork for my unemployment(don't worry you political hotheads, I am doing it just to cover my ass for the 3 months I don't hold a job.. I have one lined up for February). Well as I said I had plans.. but well since I had the morning free, I checked the website, and at one point I saw a post titled close to "Anyone in Indianapolis in need of help with groceries?"
Well me being an Indiana native, and actually being in Indiana atm, decided what the hell, I'll check this out. Well the post was a very generous guy saying.. "Hey, atm I'm okay, and if someone needs, I can pass on this 50 dollar gift certificate to a person in need for help during the holidays".
Well I have to admit I had a bit of cynicism show up.. I was worried it was a hoax, but I decided to respond. Not because I need the money.. Hell I myself and going to Disney to do a 5k this coming new years. I posted about a friend of mine. He is my age (upper 20's), a single parent with full time custody of a 3 year old. He is having a rough time paying his bills and getting groceries, so of course I thought that him getting a 50 dollar gift certificate would be f'n amazing and help him out a lot.
Well.. so I post it, and low and behold, he says I'm the guy (or well my friend is the guy?) and my story is chosen. So today I went up to Indy to meet a guy I had never known, and get a gift certificate from Marsh for a friend... well here is the kicker.. 3 guys show up besides me.
So here I am.. I'm close to 30 (a few months away) and I'm out in the parking lot of a Marsh store trying to help a friend... out of the window of a car I see a guy hold up the reddit symbol.. the Reddit Alien... so i walk over, and shortly after there are three guys around me, all handing me money and such.... I'm totally flabbergasted to say the VERY least... These guys don't know me.. are 100% total strangers... and yet here they hand me a total of about 300 dollars of gift certificates and cash... I'm amazed beyond words...
I've never been to the point of seeing just how fucking amazing people are. These guys don't know me. They have never met me before, and yet are handing me money to help out a friend of mine, and are trusting me to give this to my friend.
So after the exchange in the parking lot of a grocery store... I drive down to my friends house... I hand him the items, and tell him a Merry Christmas from redditors, and I saw this man break down. It was a total act of 100% pure kindness on their parts. They trusted me to give the money to the guy, and Yes, he got it... but I am still amazed 100% about their generosity..
I think this all comes from a very popular, and very personable story that was posted on the site, basically called, "Today you, Tommorow Me." The quick side of the story is this.. A guy, lets call him Ted.... Ted is driving down the interstate on a snowy day. Ted's tire suddenly pop's and goes flat. Bad luck is on Ted's side and he doesn't have a jack or any of the tools needed to plop the Donut on the tire... Well shit... so Ted sits on the side of the road for hours trying to flag other drivers over to help him out... he even eventually puts out a sign to say "I need a Jack, $50" ... eventually another car pulls over.
The car that pulls over is a pickup with a full family in it. Father, mother, and 3 kids. The father steps out, offers his jack and all the help that Ted needs to fix his tire. The father gets down and helps Ted change the tire, and even offers food/water from his car for Ted to help him out with the weather being as it is. Ted is obviously amazingly grateful. Ted tries to hand money to the father, but the father pushes him away and denies the money... eventually the father says "Today you, Tommorow Me"...
These are some profound words.. they go with kinda the "Pay it forward crowd" Yes they play on emotion.. but is a great example of how the hour or two of our time can mean a LOT to another person living in this world with us. Things are a lot bigger in the world than just what we see.
Just remember, as I will always want to from now on... Today You, Tommorow Me.