Pay It Forward, Give Love Away

Hand it on. When you meet the next person today, give a little love away, and if that person happens to be a child, all the better. Think about what it feels like when someone's face lights up the moment they spot you across a room. You smile, they walk over, and the whole thing is unmistakable: you were glad to see them. A child can't really grow without that signal. Even infants copy the faces around them. So help raise a kid, including one who isn't yours, by letting your expression say that their showing up was the best part of your day. Costs you nothing.

The same move works on grown-ups. Smile at whoever crosses your path next instead of sizing them up with suspicion. People who lean on faith often draw from that well of love to keep going. It reminds me of the loaves and fishes story, where the supply grows the more it's handed out. Climb down off whatever shelf you've put yourself on and pass some happiness around. Give it away and somehow you're left with more.

Odd things have started happening to me since I began doing this on purpose. A stranger hugged me out of nowhere the other day, saying they knew me even though I didn't recognize them. And last night a pecan pie turned up at my door (I have a serious weakness for pecan pie), left there with no explanation by a Mennonite family down the road.

No wallet required for any of this. Love and a smile cover it, and you don't need a reason or a plan. Just run the experiment and watch what comes back. If you're shy, or your confidence isn't where you'd like it, send the love quietly and anonymously. Aim it at the next sour-faced person you run into. Go ahead and see what it does to your own insides.

One more thing. When you notice someone struggling, resist the urge to pile on. Don't side with the people jeering. When a frazzled parent has clearly lost the thread with a cranky, squirming kid, skip the glare and the muttered complaints that everyone else is already offering. If helping isn't an option, at least don't make the moment harder. Offer a look that says you get it. Pass it forward. There's no telling when you'll be the one needing that kindness.

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