Follow-up and Continuation

     Today's story is sort of a follow-up from a story I wrote last week, and is also a continuation of it in a way.  Let me explain:

     Last weekend, I wrote about going through the drive-thru line at the bank and giving the teller a Chick-Fil-A gift card.  It certainly surprised and delighted her, and she readily agreed to my request that she "pay it forward."  Well, in this week's mail, I found a card hand-addressed to me from the bank.  I couldn't think what it could be.  It turns out that the teller thought to look up my home address and she wrote me a beautiful thank-you note, once again assuring me that she will pay it forward.  That was pretty cool.

     Today, I needed to make a deposit at the bank so I decided to do something similar, but with a twist.  I first stopped at our Philadelphia Soft Pretzel shop on Main Street and I bought a bag of pretzels.  They were literally steaming hot.  Resisting the temptation to eat a few, I drove to the bank (a different branch this time) and headed for the drive-thru window.  I had to make sure it was the lane closest to the building where you get the sliding drawer, because I didn't think I could squeeze the pretzels into that small vacuum tube!

     Anyway, I pulled up to the window and placed my deposit along with the bag of hot pretzels into the drawer, eager to watch for the reaction of the teller.  She looked at me quizzically, not sure what was going on.  I told her they were for her to enjoy and then she smiled and laughed and revealed that she wasn't sure at first what was in the bag, and if it was some kind of trick or joke.  I assured her that it wasn't.  When she finished the transaction and asked if there was anything else she could do for me, I told her there was.  I explained that I needed her to pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else. To that she happily agreed.

     Sometimes when I do things like this I feel like I'm doing an episode from  the old show, Candid Camera.  The only trick to it is that there is no trick.  And that's the most fun part.  Making someone smile just for the sake of it, with the only strings attached being a request that they pay it forward.  Simple and pure.