One a day

So I am re-starting my rule of 1 mitzvah (good deed - loosely translated) everyday.  I used to make sure I did AT LEAST one good deed a day but lately I have been slacking severely.

I don't do it because I should, I do it because doing something nice for another person not only makes me feel better, it causes other people to turn around and do something nice for others as well (at least sometimes.)

So if everyone just did SOMETHING good for 1 other person, it might start a chain reaction. I mean, when someone does something nice for me (for example: someone once let me get in front of them at the grocery store because I only had 3 items verse there 30 and all of the other checkouts were ridiculously long) I want to do something nice for someone else. It's called "pay it forward" and I think everyone should try it.

This morning a huge 18-wheeler was stuck waiting for a chance to turn into an intersection.  Instead of going (since I had the right of way) I flagged him telling him to go on since who knows when he would have a chance.

I am not saying that we should let every large truck pass or give away all of our money to someone in need.  I am saying that if we just slowed down and took a second to say "please" or "thanks" or tell someone that they are appreciated it could lead to someone doing something nice for another person and so on and so forth. 


There is a song that Clay Walker sings that I always think of.  It's called "The Chain of Love" and here are the lyrics:

He was driving home one evening,
In his beat up Pontiac
When an old lady flagged him down,
Her Mercedes had a flat
He could see that she was frightened,
Standing out there in the snow
'Til he said I'm here to help you ma'am,
By the way my name is Joe

She said I'm from St. Louis,
And I'm only passing through
I must have seen a hundred cars go by,
This is awful nice of you
When he changed the tire,
And closed her trunk
And was about to drive away,
She said how much do I owe you
Here's what he had to say

You don't owe me a thing, I've been there too
Someone once helped me out,
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back,
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you

Well a few miles down the road,
The lady saw a small cafe
She went in to grab a bite to eat,
And then be on her way
But she couldn't help but notice,
How the waitress smiled so sweet
And how she must've been eight months along,
And dead on her feet

And though she didn't know her story,
And she probably never will
When the waitress went to get her change,
From a hundred dollar bill
The lady slipped right out the door,
And on a napkin left a note
There were tears in the waitress's eyes,
When she read what she wrote

You don't owe me a thing,
I've been there too
Someone once helped me out,
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back,
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you

That night when she got home from work,
The waitress climbed into bed
She was thinkin' about the money,
And what the lady's note had said
As her husband lay there sleeping,
She whispered soft and low
Everything's gonna be alright, I love you, Joe