good

it probably won't surprise you to discover that i believe in karma, or something like it. in my experience, the more goodness one pours into the world, the more beauty they receive. i'm always amazed at how good things turn out when that's the only rule i live by.

when i was stranded in kansas city this weekend, a beautiful woman named emily took me in and cared for me. she fed me and gave me a place to sleep. she advised me on where to take my car. she told me her story. she empathized with mine. she kept saying that she remembered what it is like to be 24 and young and on your own in the world. while i felt like i was losing it, she seemed to be proud of me.

emily told me that she believed in "paying it forward," and i said that i do too. when i wrote her a thank you note, i assured her that all the kindness she had shown me hadn't gone unnoticed. i told her i would take the goodness she had shown me and share her beautiful heart with someone else.

today i took the day off work to help some friends move. i watched their little daughter while they loaded the truck. she and i played with kitties and read books for four or so hours--not at all a sacrifice on my part. these friends have meant the world to me over the past several years, and i can think of few people in my life who have shown me such consistent and significant goodness. they have constantly been generous to me with their time, money, hugs, smiles, and love. (what's more, they always tip me well when i wait on them at work!) tonight, although i protested that i didn't want payment at all, they overpaid me for my babysitting today by about 500%. they explained that they loved me, and that they knew that i was struggling now with money because of my unexpected car expenses. "whatever happened to accepting goodness graciously?" my friend asked. so i tried to.

when i encounter kindness like this i am so humbled. i told the kitchen guys in the back both of those stories and woefully mourned that it will surely take me years to repay the universe for all the beauty i have been given just in this week. "i don't think i have enough goodness in me to make up for all of this!" i told them. "well you might not have enough money," said one of the guys. "but you have the goodness. it might just take you a couple of days."

i hope he's right. i'll dig deep, and give it a shot.