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! :)

26.2K Reads

Posted by Smiley70
Jun 9, 2011
Comments (33)

Readers Comments

Bluebell wrote: You are a STAR. Thank you for your loving kindness. Love and Light, Bluebell

heartofflesh wrote: I am stunned. May God bless you for you are able to see divine in everyone.

unknown wrote: You did the right thing Smiley ... know why, you listened to your heart ... And in the process, it warmed someone else ... Aren't you fabulous ... Yes, you are :):)

1golddragonfly wrote: Fantastic! You did what others could not imagine. You did what was right for you under the circumstances. I hope you have great peace and happiness, money flows to you for your dental work and you travel where ever you want without further mishaps. Sending lots of good wishes your way!

FairyBubbles wrote: That was a beautiful thing to do.
(((HUG)))

Spoonerism wrote: Funny how following your heart can often be so hard to do... peer pressure and other people's fear and suspicion can so often mean we are not true to ourselves!

But you managed to do what felt right to you! And that took some courage! :-)

Glowworm wrote: Lovely story! What a wonderful example of kindness. God bless.

~Glowworm

Sydney wrote: What a truely amazing thing to do! This is one of the most beautiful acts of pay-it-forward I have heard!

Aurelia wrote: You did a good thing. It really is nice to read a story like this. I am glad you were able to get another car without much expense to yourself. He will remember you and this accident for ever and pay it forward many times! :0)Aurelia

Stories of Kindness from Around the World