Paying it Forward

PAYING IT FORWARD

We hear about something such as ‘Paying it Forward” and we think it’s a new concept, well at least I did.  

That was until I thought about writing this post.  Naturally I went on line to do a little research and found that just as the old saying goes: “There’s nothing new under the sun”.  Well, paying it forward is not a new concept.  See article from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_it_forward.

I got stuck thinking about this when I considered whether one could “pay if forward” without being aware of doing so:  A sort of banking of a good deed that would pay dividends much later. Furthermore, could this good deed be accrued to oneself?  Let me explain.

As always these little tales involve our cockney childhood but to be more accurate the teenage years of LS. 

By the time this event occurred I’ve moved on to being a young adult or at least I think I am.  I earn money, I have a job.  I pay rent for the privilege of living at home.  I buy my own clothes and in particular I buy shoes.  I love shoes and one pair of shoes I’ll always remember. 

Made of the softest leather you could ever imagine in a style and colour that was guaranteed to attract attention these shoes were my pride and joy.  But not for long.

You see they stretched!  Dad said it was due to the softness of the leather and though he could fix most things other than a suggestion for wearing a pair of socks there was nothing he could do.

Much later in life I discovered why my shoes had stretched: The following poem by LS gives a little clue.

I wish I were my sister

Who wears such pretty clothes

Maybe in a few more years

To loan them I'll propose

But when I see her dressed so smart

For boys who stand and stare

I sneak to get her high red shoes

To wear when she's not there.

Obviously, my shoes were going out more than I was and they were travelling on feet that were just a shade bigger than mine.  

But life goes on and I eventually stopped despairing for my little red shoes.

Karma has no concept of time so for the “Paying Forward” to work this story jumps many decades to my recent bout with surgery.

  

One of the problems I experienced was a swelling of my feet and legs.  The therapy for this was walking.  And what does walking require?  The hospital was adamant that walking required foot covering.  I was prepared for that.  I had shoes and I had slippers nicely stowed in my bag.  And that’s where they stayed!  No way would they fit on my swollen feet.

Here’s where I blessed the feet that stretched my red sandals.  LS provided a marvelous pair of worked in sneakers that fit my swollen feet to a tee. 

How can anyone not believe in “Paying it Forward” to oneself!