Modern Vespa

So I have been thinking as to what to do to say thank you for another great business year. I have decided next Monday to stalk a layaway department at a box store and find a person or two that seem like they could use their tab picked up. Then I thought maybe others would want to do the same so why not throw it out there.

Before I can enjoy my Holidays I need to do something nice for someone else. If you feel compelled this would be a great thread to share it.

The rules.........

1) Ride your Vespa to your destination.

2) Photograph your Vespa at the destination.

3) Eavesdrop at a layaway counter and find your person/persons of interest.

4) Pay their tab and have a great hug.

5) Photograph you and your person/persons.

6) Share your story.

7) Have the best Holiday season ever.

Cheers,
SDG

Cool idea. You da Christmas man. Well done!


Or you could just ship one of those stashed PX's to MN.

I saw this story on the LA local news last week: An anonymous donor asked the lay-away clerk to locate accounts that had mostly toys and were late or unlikely to be paid. The broadcast did not spotlight the giver. It focused on the joy of the recipients, especially the kids. What a heartwarming story.

Sounds awesome, but I'm way too shy to do this in front of a person, let alone pose for pics. If I can pull it off on the sly, however, I will. You have my word.

somebody in your neck of the woods tonight is going to have a good Christmas, hope they help out some others.

Kinda did that last night inadvertently (hadn't read this thread yet). Instead of a layaway counter it was a grocery store and the person in front of me had lost her wallet (wasn't in her purse), her husband couldn't find it at home, and she was freaking out a little.

After watching this go down (I was next in line), after a moment I just said, "put her food on my bill please."

Was only like $20, so I will just eat at home an extra night and not have a beer after work or something (necessary anyway - I'm getting a bit pudgier than I want these days). Her evening was spared, and my bad mood was temporarily lifted.

Helps. Pay things forward. And yes, I was on the Vespa last night. Heh.

Yeah, seriously. It wasn't me, for the record.

OZ i did something similar yesterday. Only i was in WalMart and the person behind me was talking about not having enough money(she thought) to pay for the toys she had in her basket for the kids. I paid for them and it was only $40 but the woman thanked me all the way out the door. That was priceless. 8)

Awesome. Feels good.
Hopefully it reminds us to all treat each other with love and respect. Good time to remember.

Okay, I'm officially screwed. Even though it's an amazing 30 degrees out, the roads are still snow-covered, so the scooter is stuck in the garage. Nor much time to shop right now.

What did happen, however, was that I was at my daughter's school Christmas program, and they mentioned the Giving Tree outside....looked over some of the requests for gifts, like a pair of pants for a 10 y.o. boy...wow....I know there are lots of folks around in need, but it really struck me how it must be to have to ask for a pair of pants.. As the deadline was near and there were still a bunch of requests on the tree, I grabbed a couple.

Yes, it feels good.

Amen to that, brotha'...

I'm not bold enough to do the in-person part of what SDG suggests. I'd also be worried about making someone feel embarrassed (nobody wants to be seen as an object of charity).

But I am always up for some random acts of kindness, so I'll see what I can do to join your little viral kindness fest... it just may be a bit more covert.

Good on you, Dave. You are a shining example of the good that successful small businesses (and businessmen/women), can do in their communities.

Love this Dave. If I were still in LA visiting family I would be in. Good luck and Merry Christmas everyone.

Today to my daughters' middle school principal to give families that need groceries for the break... Riding Vespa today questionable. I don't do COLD (and to me, anything below 65 is COLD!)

Just a girl from the Old South. Merry and Happy to y'all.

SDG, this is a great idea!

Some people have expressed doubt about going up and giving to someone randomly. Let me assure you that if you approach on your scooter not only will they welcome you with open arms, you will feel wonderful about. If you are one that judges everyone this is not for you, but I do hope you will try. Just imagine only the best in your mind and let it go. We at The Big Red Scooter do this on a regular basis. What we document are the real successful feel good stories. There are many more that are great but we do not write about. It is about helping and in doing so it is a reward to us. They do not all have to be qualified. Often we will just ride up to some one and hand them an envelop. Imagine, even if you are not in need, what that random act says to you. In doing this, we hope that you will "pay it forward" as they say.
http://thebigredscooter.org/

Just checked out the website....awesome project. Have it bookmarked for updates!

Good idea, but... I was picking up some last minute stuff last year about this time after a day of wrenching on a dirty older Vespa without a change of clothes. A nice lady tried to pay for my purchases & did embarrass us both for a moment. But we both realized how kind her intentions were and parted with me promising to do the same or similar and her looking for a better recipient.

I wound up being so paranoid about 'helping' some 'bum' that might be just a 'working casual today' executive or something, or somebody with possible need but too much pride to accept this kind of public help so I finally gave generously to the bell ringer at the door instead.

Can't tell a book by the cover.

Ok, lets get this thing started. This is not the exact lay away SDG wanted, but I consider it a lay away for me when I get layed away.
More to follow.

At the post office today a man in front of me with a arm that was messed up from birth was having a hard time handling packaging. I paid back by getting out of line and helping him git er done. We got back in line him in front. As he went to pay the CC system crashed. I paid his 14.65 postage. He promises to pay it forward. I am sure he will. No photos just a good left handed hand shake and best wishes.

Does this count? Sunday my 11 year old and I went on a Yule Scoot group ride. We met up at Pemco in Seattle where they fed us coffee and pastries. They took our photos and made us event badges to keep (yes, we normally wear helmets. We took them off for the photo). Then we all rode down to a store in Ballard where we bought toys and toiletries for a women's shelter. We loaded up the Pemco van. The picture is one of the Pemco employees (I missed her name). Then we all scooted back to downtown Seattle and delivered the goods. We got to meet all the moms and kids and have lunch with them. Probably the best Christmas charity event I have ever participated in.

Absolutely awesome and heartwarming story.

Best,
SDG

This too is a great story. A great random act of kindness

Good story.

...sigh.

So what, just a couple days earlier, I posted about how I paid for a woman's groceries on the way home from doing some shopping. That woman's dinner with her husband was spared, and I felt good about doing it, we all can use a friendly gesture sometimes, etc.

Well, turns out that's actually true. So before I continue, lemme back up a little bit.

I don't talk about my personal life here much, since this is a public forum and all that. Those who know me in person (though, not even all!) know that this year has not been an easy one for me. Life had finally caught up to me, and I made a change that had broad implications for nearly every aspect of my life. It meant crafting a lot of life that one takes for granted anew, and it's been trying and difficult. Sometimes we make decisions in life that we know set us up for a hard road but we hope and pray that things will be better as a result. In many ways it had been, but in some ways, things became exponentially harder.

One of those ways ties back to another thread - the one Judy started about what its' like going back to driving a car if you only own scooters or whatever. Turns out my whole adult life, the only vehicle I've really owned has been scooters/motorcycles. My daughter's mother has a car, and while we were together that was the "family car", but, obviously, when life changes, that stops being a reasonable option.

Suddenly I'm left a single dad with no car, and just motorcycles/scooters.

It's hard to have a 5 year old without a car, even in an area like mine that has much to offer within short walking distance. Even a quick mile's walk can go bad if the weather isn't right. You can't carry groceries easily. I can't take my daughter to the zoo. I can't take her clothes shopping. I can't take her to play dates with friends that live on the other side of my small town. I can't even take her to get a damned Happy Meal. It's... been a challenge. It takes an emotional toll, too. On both of us - my daughter and myself. It has left me leveled on occasion when, during one of our walks to hear her ask me, "Daddy, mommy has a car. When can we get a car?"

Those who know the details of my personal life may know why statements like that are hard for me to deal with, where it is more than just the inconvenience to her life but a deeply painful and frustrating situation. Further, I pride myself in having always been her provider, and hell - in theory I do well for myself and under other circumstances this should be simple, but the circumstances are what they are...

...and with issues of circumstance we push and push and try but ultimately the best we can do is do our best and hope that we can make do as we try to change them.

I've never let myself bow mood to circumstance (for that long ), nor have I ever let it stop me, but as time has worn on this year I felt more and more crushed under the weight of this simple yet complicated burden. Every day it rains when I walk my daughter to school, I'd feel defeat. And the solution has been so far off in the distance, it just got harder and harder to imagine pushing forward the way I have for as long as I'd need to.

Last night, I was out doing some xmas shopping for my little girl, getting her some clothing I thought she would like. As I'm walking through the sale section, bopping to music, my phone rings. I look at the screen and see the number - it's one of my closest friends (the one who brought me back into photography years ago, the one who has helped me grow and push me as a photographer, got me to show my work at galleries, etc). I was in a rush but I will always answer for him.

B: "Hey, I'm calling you with a crazy story."
Me: "Yeah? What'sup homeslice?"
B: "So, D and I just got a new car. And you're on the short list of people who we were thinking of donating our old car to."

At this moment my heart suddenly stopped. I breathed in deep, sharp, the kind that comes through your teeth that are clenched when you're not sure what's coming next.

Me, with trepidation: "ok...?"
B: "So I called my brother, and he's passed on it. And you're next."
Me: "Oh my god. Uh, I'm not sure what to say."
B: "Say you'll take it. You know, son, it's my Jeep [ed. note - it's a 1999 Jeep Cherokee with a new transmission]. It runs well, we just wanted an upgrade. It'll be good for quite a few more years. And its' a hauler, you can get all your photo gear around with it."
Me: "I know, I... I just... I'm not sure what to say."
B: "Just say you'll take it. I don't want anything for it. It's yours. Just take it. We're at dinner right now, D and I, so I can't really talk much longer, but I wanted to check this off the list. We'll follow up later on it."
Me, still shellshocked: "OK. Cool. I just don't know what to say, man. Thank you."
B: "We'll talk this weekend. I'll call you later?"
Me: "OK."

At this moment, I was holding a small blue and white striped sweater that I had been anxiously fiddling with. My grip on this sweater had become so tight, knuckles white, and I had pulled the sweater so close to my chest that any further and it'd be in my ribcage.

A minute later I took my first breath since he mentioned the car.

Immediately after that I started crying. Not ridiculous bawling, I am a man of much machismo as it were (*cough*bullshit*cough*), but the dignified sort of crying one does when something good happens in the middle of a storm of crap.

This will literally change my life. And not just mine, but my daughter's as well.

There's a lot of commentary I could make that I won't. The few who know, know, and can understand why this is beyond a big deal, at a time where every dime I have counts.

The things you do, though, fair MV reader, can and will touch lives. For someone you know, or someone you don't. Just know that. We never know what's going on in someone's life, truly. As close as we may feel to those around us right now in this community there are still hardships that go unknown, challenges that we push through, and moments that test us all that go unseen.

Keep up the spirit of trying to help better one another's lives. When I am able, I know I will do my best to pay it forward as it has been to me with that call, and hope it will help someone's life be that much better - whether it be someone I know or someone I don't.

It may not be obvious, the impact we can have on the lives of others. Just know it's there, and you too can bring light to someone's world, lift their spirits, and give them hope.

Hugs and cuddles. I applaud the spirit of this thread. Keep being good to one another.

OZ so sorry about your breakup and troubles. You had me crying but a good cry. I do believe in Karma. If you do things out in life that are truly genuine and selfless for others, you will get the same back. Hence why you got the car. You get what you need, a car, a new friend etc etc. Your daughter will understand why you don't drive a car when she gets older. Nothing wrong without having one but you do need one if you can't have access to one. I'm guessing your daughter will ride pillion on good days still. Great friend and best xmas kindness ever. Thanks for sharing your story.. 8) Hang in there.Things happen for a reason (breakup etc). Something even better is coming your way. That's what happens to me. Had what i thought were bad things that happened in my life ( they really were at the time) the clouds parted and my life was better than before. May you and your daughter have the best xmas ever.

Thanks, Judy.

I'm not sorry about splitting up. We weren't right for each other, and though I knew that for a very long time, the fear of what divorce meant and how it would impact my daughter kept me stagnant. It made her mom and me worse people than we would be otherwise, and I think the decision to end the marriage was the best one for the long term. Unfortunately it makes for some challenging in-between while lives are rebuilt. She and I are on "good terms" all things considered, so that's positive.

My daughter has been very understanding through this all and it's been wonderful. I just wish it hadn't been a matter of her being "understanding". You always want better for them than that, yeah?

She's excited about the day she can hop on the back of a bike and go with daddy somewhere. For now, it'll be soon that I can strap her in to the back seat of the Jeep and enjoy a simple thing like taking her to a toy store.

Happy holidays indeed. Hope: it feels good. Give it to someone.

Glad your on good terms but even tho you weren't made for each other, you sure got something very special out of the relationship,that beautiful daughter of yours. She's a beautiful and special little girl. If you had to get a car the Jeep is the next best thing to a scooter IMHO. Lotsa fun to be had in one. My friend had a Jeep and we went everywhere in that thing. Muddy back roads,snowy fields, small streams etc etc. Good times. 8)

Very heartwarming thread. This is the most giving and caring forum I've ever had the pleasure of participating in. SDG, thank you for starting it and all of the random acts of kindness mentioned and unmentioned! It is great to know that there are still compassionate people out there, especially this time of the year.

A friend of a friend mentioned a family in my town whose husband up and left them with nothing. Several of us have chipped in to provide a Christmas for the kids. I bought a Nintendo Dss for the boy and a digital camera for the girl. I am so blessed to have been able to help. It is a great feeling to know that, inspite of everything else going on, smiles and laughter will be in that home come Christmas morning!!

O.Z. good to hear things are turning around. When I was first reading I thought you were getting a sidecar. That's what a friend of mine uses with her grandkids since she hasn't owned a car in more than a decade.

The jeep will serve you well and it shows the sort of person you are that you were on the short list as a recipient. Have a happy Christmas.

What a sweet story.

I'm touched.

Bill XX

OK, not nearly as awesome as the stories above, but here's what happened the other day.

I'm at the local Hawaiian food truck and these two teenagers come up. Only one buys lunch. I ask the other kid why he's not having lunch. I only have a buck, he says.

Now, when I was a kid, I know that feeling. But when me and my friends would go out, whoever had money would usually just split whatever we were eating.

So I asked what would you get for lunch normally - Teriyaki Chicken. So I bought him lunch. He was very happy and told me nobody's ever done that type of thing for him.

So I told him, "some day, some where, maybe tomorrow, maybe 50 years from now, you'll see some skinny kid that's hungry, and you'll remember today, and you'll pay it forward". Then I told him, "then again, maybe not, but it's your choice". He laughed at this, and we all had a nice lunch!

Lame, maybe, but every act of non-forced, spontaneous kindness does have an effect. We may not know it, but it does matter. Good Karma....

It all counts

That's pretty awesome. Love to hear that.

O.Z.... thanks for sharing that and for giving us a glimpse into your life. Your story made my eyes well up. That you felt comfortable sharing it with us pushed the tears over the top and down my cheeks.

This is a special place full of special people. Just when I think I know it all, someone comes along and helps me realize I still have a lot to learn.

Thanks for the lesson.

Thanks, David. I appreciate those words.

The biggest thing I have found about MV is that people care. Communities of any kind with people who care should be cherished. This one is no different. The people I have gotten to know - my clubmates, my friends otherwise, particularly those I've met in person - I wouldn't trade for the world. Many of them (take Bonkers for example!) are as much my family to me as my actual family.

Take care of everyone you meet - you never know what role they'll play in your life and why.

Very well-said, OZ. I really believe everyone shows up for a reason...(even those you wish didn't). How we deal with them matters.

Thanks for sharing. Glad you're on the upswing and hope 2014 smoothes out for you.

So true OZ. When one door closes, another door opens. Wishing you the best in 2014.

This evening the family decided to go to a local light display at the botanical gardens. It took us about 30 minutes to get into the gardens due to a large volume of cars/visitors. The attendant taking money at the gate was a young girl who was crying. She apologized to us and said that a lady had just yelled at her. The poor thing was a complete mess. My wife and I went straight into parent mode and spent a few minutes reassuring her and cheering her up. When we pulled away she had a big smile on her face and was very thankful for our efforts to cheer her up and she told us we made her night!

And that story put a smile on my face.

I could hug you