Pay It Forward…By Listening

by Laura Finney

As an officer of an association, I had been given the task to come up with a project for my local club members. Many of the members squawked at any idea that would be time consuming and daunting. The foundation of the project was to create “community bonding” and have a lasting effect on the individual recipients.

I had recently watched the movie “Pay It Forward.” Immediately, I was touched and inspired by the message in the movie. I challenged my club to a six-month project, “Pay It Forward…By Listening.”
The project rules were simple: to engage in a “friendly” conversation with someone (we did not know), who works at a place we visit often in our community. The conversation could not be longer than a few minutes (people are working). The objective was to get to know someone by just “being nice” and taking those moments when waiting in line or participating in a service or activity to listen and learn something new about someone not in “our lives”. No place was off limits. The goal was to create a bond with those that serve us in our communities. I chose my local coffee house.

At my local coffee house, Lisa was my target. She had been wiping down the tables and appeared to be in a good mood. I felt like 007 trying to determine if this was the right thing to do. I am always pleasant, but this was taking it a step further. Timing had to perfect. Just as Lisa went to wipe down the coffee station, I went over to “fix” my coffee. We had the typical pleasantries. I asked the typical question, “How’s your day going?” I immediately noticed her big blue eyes…smiling. Then I noticed she had no hair under the cap she wore. In less than two minutes, I learned-Lisa loves her job, it pays over $10 an hour, her co-workers are great, and she has excellent health benefits. Her insurance covered 100% of the cost for her to have the tumor removed from her brain, she boasted as she showed me her scar.

Today, seven months later, Lisa has grown her hair out. I did not notice her at first. She told me she has not decided what to do about hair now that she has it…again. I told her, “It doesn’t matter, either way you look fabulous!”

I have completed my project and Lisa is aware she was my “target.” Lisa has agreed to pay if forward.

This on-going experience reminds me of how grateful I am of where I live, where I work, and where I play.