This weekend I'm working a hockey tournament at Edina’s Braemar Arena with my best friend Melanie. On Friday we decided to make a drive out to the arena to check out the penalty box and make sure we were ready to manage the scoreboard in case multiple penalties came in at the same time. It was perfect, we were able to stand right behind the box about 10 feet up and watch over the two people currently running the box. While we were watching, Sam said she was hungry and wanted to get something to munch on. We walked out to the concession stand and I asked if they take cards and if not where the ATM was located. As I turned away to head towards the ATM the lady who just paid handed a couple bills to me. I thanked her for her kindness but told her I’d just grab some money from the ATM. That was not acceptable for her. “Take this, you are going to be paying fees to pull money from the machine, so just take this.” After I realized that there was no way she was going to allow me to pass up her generosity, I gratefully took her money and thanked her. She vanished just like that. I bought Sam a pretzel with cheese and a pop which totaled four dollars. I still had two dollars left, and wanted to find her so I could give her back her change, but as I had said, she vanished.
The next day when we came back to the arena I saw her again. I approached her and handed her back the six dollars she had given me the day before. She continued to walk and refused to take it. Her only words were “I have been there before when my child wanted some food and I didn’t have any money on me. Thank you for your gesture of paying me back, but I don’t want it.” She smiled and continued to walk away.
I didn’t need her money, and I wasn’t concerned with spending two, four or even ten dollars in fees. My girl wanted to eat a snack, and I would have paid those fees to get her one.
She paid it forward, and now it is my turn!
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