After accidentally transferring money to not my intended recipient recently, I was able to get their phone number from PayPal (after I didn't get a response to my email) and make a Megan-level awkward phone call and ask a random stranger for my money back. The person said they would review their account and get back with me. Later, I received a text that they would send the money back to me. I quickly thanked them and wished them a happy holidays and the sentiment was returned.
I won't lie,
this situation weighed heavily on me because it wasn't a small sum. What if the person wasn't willing to return the money? What if PayPal was like, "Not sorry you're an idiot." Telling Teh German was incredibly difficult because it was his money I had sent to a stranger.
So many shitty things could have come from the situation, but I was lucky and the end result was nothing like my worst nightmare(s).
Many things weigh heavily on me these days. School, everything in the news, situations with friends that I can't make better... I feel lost and limited in what I can do to help make the world a better place and I had an epiphany (after coming through this PayPal situation mostly unscathed) and I realized exactly what I should do.
Be kind.
Kindness is a choice you make,
This isn't to say give away all your time and money... I mean, unless that's what you want to do. But instead, smile at the stranger passing you on the street. Give someone waiting in line with you an unexpected compliment or start up a conversation about something trivial (this will definitely mean embracing the awkward). It might not make a huge difference in your life, but it could make a huge difference in the life of someone else.
Finally, be kind to yourself. I'm horrible for never letting myself off the hook, which results in a lot of stress when situations like this PayPal debacle come up. But I have to tell you a secret... I'm doing the best I can, and so are you. As long as we're doing the best we can, we're doing a great job.
Many things weigh heavily on me these days. School, everything in the news, situations with friends that I can't make better... I feel lost and limited in what I can do to help make the world a better place and I had an epiphany (after coming through this PayPal situation mostly unscathed) and I realized exactly what I should do.
Be kind.
Not just to people who are like me or who agree with my opinions.. but to EVERYONE.
Kindness is a choice you make,
even when it's the difficult, most
exhausting choice.
I find that it often happens to be the most
rewarding choice.
This isn't to say give away all your time and money... I mean, unless that's what you want to do. But instead, smile at the stranger passing you on the street. Give someone waiting in line with you an unexpected compliment or start up a conversation about something trivial (this will definitely mean embracing the awkward). It might not make a huge difference in your life, but it could make a huge difference in the life of someone else.
Finally, be kind to yourself. I'm horrible for never letting myself off the hook, which results in a lot of stress when situations like this PayPal debacle come up. But I have to tell you a secret... I'm doing the best I can, and so are you. As long as we're doing the best we can, we're doing a great job.
TL;DR:
This year, I'm grateful for kindness.
Kindness showed to me.
Kindness I've been able to show to others.
Kindness I've learned to bestow upon myself.
A nice reminder, pretty apropos for this time of year, too. Acts of kindness (big AND small) definitely cause a chain reaction. And we certainly need it more than ever these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got your money back. If everyone did just one small nice thing for someone every day I feel like this would be such a better place. I mean heck, even the whole pay it forward at Starbucks thing. That completely makes my day when it happens & then I want to go on & do nice things for other people.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome that you were able to get your money back!!! I 100% believe in kindness to strangers. You never know what someone else is struggling with and it doesn't cost anything or take any effort to smile and be polite to others.
ReplyDelete