Thursday, October 24, 2013

Paying It Forward

I've been following Lauren's blog, Love Is The Point, where she writes about doing good deeds and trying to brighten other people's days. And a few weeks ago, she mailed me a Starbucks gift card because she's super sweet and wanted to do something nice for her readers.


As soon as I opened the card, I got this bug in my ear saying that I really should pay it forward. I try to be nice to everyone, and I volunteer on occasion, but I know that's not the same as doing good deeds just for the sake of doing them. So I told Matt that the next time I went to Starbucks, I was going to pay for the person behind me in line.

Yesterday, I went to Starbucks via the drive-thru. I was like, shaking nervous, because I NEVER do stuff like this. A light blue Toyota Yaris pulled up behind me. (I couldn't see who was in the car because Esmeralda is gigantic and the windshield of the Yaris didn't even come up over my tailgate.)

I thought I was being stealthy, but when I got home I realized all I got was a picture of my own tailgate. Fail.

I ordered the Chocolate Chai Latte (thanks, Lauren!), and when I got to the window, I told the barista that I'd like to pay for the car behind me. He said "okay" like it was no big deal, and then popped his head out the window again.

"Are you sure? Because their order is like, twelve dollars."

I didn't hesitate before saying yes, I was sure. YOU WILL NOT STOP ME FROM DOING MY GOOD DEED, STARBUCKS MAN.

Yes, my car does have cup holders. I took this pic after I parked so I wouldn't slosh latte everywhere.

I paid for my ticket and theirs, and high-tailed it out of the drive-thru line with my stomach still doing flippy-floppies. I drove the long way through the adjacent HEB parking lot so the Yaris wouldn't catch up to me. (I don't know what I thought would happen if they did, but I was not taking chances!)

The latte was excellent. I hope whoever was in that little blue car had a good afternoon.

What is your usual order at Starbucks? Any good fall drinks you recommend? (I'm a sucker for advertising. That's how I discovered my two favorite drinks: peppermint hot chocolate at Christmastime, and raspberry green tea frappuccinos the rest of the year!)

8 comments

  1. That is so cool, and very sweet of you! I'm not a coffee drinker, so I usually just get iced tea, or a smoothie if I am getting my hair done, since the Starbucks is in the same parking lot as my salon. But I did try the Caramel Apple Cider recently, and it was yummy!

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  2. You are awesome, yay for passing on Starbucks love! My drink year round is the iced grande non-fat vanilla latte. I hate hot drinks, I'm weird!

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  3. Oh my gosh Allie I love this so much! I've ALWAYS wanted to do the pay-for-the-person-behind-me thing, but I don't think I've ever actually carried it out! Now I have to! And ps - I'm so glad that you got some good use out of that little reader appreciation gift! :)

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  4. I hope you started a chain of goodwill, what a nice gesture :)

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  5. Allie, I did this a few months ago. I was having the worst day ever. My mood was as foul as the weather. I tried all day to get out of the funk I was in, to no avail. At lunch I thought I'd go over to get an iced tea from my favorite drive thru. I saw a car pull up behind me and in a moment of clarity thought to myself that perhaps they were having as bad a day as me. I pulled up to the window paid for my drink and paid for the meals the car behind me had ordered. The best part of the story was I immediately felt better. My mood changed and I was thrilled for the rest of the day just thinking that maybe I put a smile on someone's face !

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    1. That is such an awesome story, and it's so true that doing something nice for someone else can bring yourself joy too!

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  6. I would have been so nervous too! One time one of my classmates came into school all lit up with the biggest smile on her face saying, "Guys, I was just having a really rough morning, so I decided to treat myself to starbucks, and then when I got up to the window, I was told that the person ahead of me had paid for me!" She was so excited, and I thought it was cool to hear the reaction of someone who had been blessed like that!

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  7. That is such an awesome thing to do! Well done you :)

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