Pay it forward

I know, a hokey movie with Haley Joel Osment, Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt (right? I didn't see it).

Last weekend I gave a short ride to a total stranger who had some heavy bags and a ways to walk. She gave me $5 which I unsuccessfully tried to give back to her. $5 for a short ride is totally overkill, and now I am living with the guilt of having profited from something I should have done for free. I don't know why I didn't try harder to give her the money back, I mean, we did have the usual "You take it" "No, YOU take it" exchange, but I ended up with the money.

She told me where she works and I have thought about calling the place up and asking for her, but now I can't remember her name so it might sound suspicious to call up a work place and ask nosy questions about the employees.

So, I have to pay it forward. Monday I gave a small box of chocolates anonymously to a coworker that I had planned to have for myself. She had just come back from being sick for a week, so I figured she needed it more than me.

But I still feel the need to be nice to people to make up for the $5. I wonder how long the feeling will last and how long I will suppress the inner bitch in me to be nice in a totally unselfish way.