A Beautiful Act of Pay-It-Forward

--by Smiley70, posted Jun 9, 2011

I truly believe in the power of paying it forward and I have always gotten enjoyment and fulfilment from it.

Last year, I was waiting at the traffic lights on my way to work, when my car was rammed from behind. After pulling over, a flustered young man admitted his fault and proceed to apologise and explain why he had not been ‘in the moment’ whilst driving. He told me that he had just been evicted and that his insurance had just run out. I could feel his genuine stress, and as he gave me his details and promised to find a way to pay for it, I tried to comfort him and told him to not worry too much; we will work it out and to please have a great day.

When I got to work, my work colleagues hounded me to get a quote quickly and were appalled that I had not collected his registration details (oops). The same thing happened when I told my sister what had happened and she sternly told me not to let him get away with it. She knew that I had a small amount of money in the bank (saved for dental work) and was worried that I would not pursue damages.

With everyone pressuring me to chase up compensation, I was unsure of what to do. I decided to purchased a small second hand car and pondered on my dilemma. After about 4 months, it was coming up towards Christmas and I started to think about how nervous this young man might be feeling, waiting for me to ‘sting’ him, so I finally made my decision and sent him this sms:

"Hi Joe,

A few weeks back you hit the back of my car. I have managed to pick up another car, so I have been able to get around. I want to let you know that I am not going to seek any payment from you. If in future you could help someone, that would be great. Wishing you a wonderful christmas and hope next year is better."

This young man was so grateful, and I felt that finally a weight had been shifted from my shoulders. If only I had trusted my own heart earlier we both could have been spared some unnecessary stress! :)

26.1K Reads

Posted by Smiley70
Jun 9, 2011
Comments (33)

Readers Comments

Shirley Marsh wrote: Years ago someone started a 'good news' newspaper. I flopped after a short while because apparently only bad news sells. Maybe our newspapers could divide themselves into half 'good news' and half 'bad news' publications; they'd still sell but we'd get a good dose of what's good about this world and its people!

Nikki wrote: What a truly amazing person you are. In this world of today. The driver who were hit would have faked a neck injury and sued the pants off of the poor kid. I hope the blessings that you give come back to you tenfold. God is surely smiling down on you. Have a blessed life.

yornchea wrote: I would need to help our people who are poorest, especially our kids i really want to see them have better future. So everyday i have so many kids always come to study the languages in my school

anjie wrote: Thank you for posting. This truly shows that some people are not always after the mighty dollar and that kindness and goodwill of you shone through the stress.

bookworm58 wrote: I agree we should trust our heart more often and help make the world a better place for someone.
thanks for sharing the story
bookworm58

georgette wrote: You have a beautifull heart

Smiley70 wrote: Thankyou for all your kind words. This forum is such a beautiful place for people to be loving and loved. Love and gratitude to you all :)

shelliebg wrote: I did the same thing when a lady whose hubbie had just had heart sx hit my car. It was just a bumper. My father-in-law had rec'd a heart at the same hospital. Life, not possesions is what is important!

Wendy wrote: Wow! You are so kind! It's great to know that there are still good people around! You will truly be blessed!

Ekta wrote: Great act of kindness, old saying 'do good and good will come back to you. '

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