Pay it Forward

One of the (many, many) things I took away from my visit to the west coast this spring left a big impression on my heart. I’ve always felt it’s important to give back, but the concept of paying it forward? Hm. I thought this was awfully powerful, to hear those words spoken from someone who I had come to admire had told that there’s no way (admittedly through tears) I could ever repay him for the volumes I learned from him about myself, my work, and my dreams in the short days we spent together.

And his simple reply? Pay it forward.

I’ve thought long and hard about how to do this, and find myself asking more questions than finding answers. Are they simple gifts of charity? A random act of kindness? A percentage of profit to a chosen philanthropy? Time and wisdom to an aspiring student of design or photography? And how do I pass this lesson to my child? Or encourage others to do the same?

I haven’t found the clear direction yet :: but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and not participate. Seeing as how next week marks the first day of school for many around here, I felt one of the simplest things that would have a great impact to another person would be to donate school supplies. It seems that the need is greater this year, with more families experiencing hardships of so many kinds—illness, financial strain—that there are, very likely, children that won’t have the tools they need to get the best possible education. And in your own backyard.

Today we took our donation to the school district offices—where we ran into the director of communications, who I had spoken with about our contribution—and the superintendent, of all people, and we experienced firsthand the upswell of gratitude that comes with giving (and receiving) from the heart. And it comes no matter what the donation, and no matter who you share it with. Both Parker and I left with big smiles on our faces knowing we had impacted someone else in our community.

Pay it forward? You bet.