The San Diego fires provided many different opportunities to pay it forward. I found myself lucky enough to be living in a safe place and because of that, I was able to help those who were less fortunate. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to volunteer, though. Ms. Randall and I were turned away from a series of different places. It was not until we rode the trolley into Qualcomm that we were able to volunteer successfully. What a wonderful experience it was! We met some amazing people, especially inspiring kids who wouldn't let the fact they were evacuated from their homes keep them down.
When we first got there, I became a clown's assistant. She was in full clown attire, while I was in my street clothes. Luckily, I was ready with long balloons and a pump [don't leave home without them!], so as she painted faces, I blew up, twisted and delivered balloon animals to kids waking up at Qualcomm. I got to fulfill my dream of partially becoming a clown (juggling while unicycling is still left to be accomplished). I hope I was able to make a positive difference in some of the kids' days.
Ms. Randall and I were also able to set up a card-making station in the fun zone where kids could write notes to friends and fire-fighters letting them know they were safe or to say thank you. Many kids took a moment to make their own cards. I felt like that station may have been a place where kids could take the opportunity to pay it forward to thank firefighters and family who supported them. It's possible someone did just that.
Being there made me realize that paying it forward isn't necessarily about being revolutionary or starting something new. Sometimes, it's just about joining in with others who are already doing good. And sometimes, it is just helping people see the beauty in themselves and what they are doing. For example, in the picture to the left, Ms. Randall is helping Hana hang up her artwork with pride.
I enjoyed my first attempt at paying it forward for this project. I didn't pass on the message to pay it forward to those I was trying to help. I didn't feel it was the time or place. There were too many of us there, ready to help and pay it forward. I felt the atmosphere itself spoke louder than any of my words could. I look forward to future attempts at paying it forward, and I'm going to challenge myself to talk about the pay it forward movement during one of my attempts. For now, I'm off to brainstorm my next attempt at paying it forward...
This is a photo of the goo at the bottom of the fridge after I took out all of the food. It was decided at a meeting the previous week that after Friday, anything left in the fridge could be thrown out. I threw out everything that was past its expiration date or just not dated. I scrubbed and scrubbed and disinfected and scrubbed and scrubbed until the refrigerator shined again.
It felt good to make it sparkle-y white again. So, I kept going. I cleaned the toaster oven, the microwave, the sink, and the coffee maker. I took the trash cans down to the dumpsters in the back and suddenly, the kitchen was like new again. I don't use all of the things I cleaned, but I liked knowing that everything in the kitchen was clean, again, like at the beginning of the year. Our space feels more clean and functional, now.
I left a note taped to the fridge with "Pay it Forward" cards for the taking. I'm hoping that the movement will be channeled through the teachers at HTMMA who are grateful to see the kitchen clean. Now is not the time to pay back favors and random acts of kindness; it is the time to pay it forward!
