So the doorbell rang a few hours ago and a really sweaty middle aged guy was standing on my porch with his bike laying on my lawn. He said he had been out of work for 6 months and was going door to door asking people if he could paint their house numbers on the curb in front of their houses. He asked if he could do that for me for a little money. By this time both my 16 year old son and my 11 year old daughter had come up behind me to see what was going on. "Sure" I said. "How much?" "Whatever you think is fair" he said. I agreed to pay him $10 and he went to work. After I shut the door to let him work my daughter was worried. She wanted to know who the man was and what he was doing here. Was he coming to live with us?? She was very nervous. I asked my son to run a cold bottle of water and a granola bar out to the man while he was working. "Why?" he asked. I am batting a thousand here. I am looking at my off spring wondering at what point in their lives they were raised by wolves. "Because he looks like he is very hot and needs a cold drink and maybe something to eat. Just to be kind." I look at both children now, "We are moving away from this house, do you think I really need my house numbers painted on the curb? Not really, but this man doesn't have a job. He is riding his bike around the streets asking to do a little work for a little money. I have a job and I have a little money to spare today. So I am doing a little kindness for some one else. I want both of you to do a little kindness for others when you can. You have more than many children do." They stare at me as if I have grown another head. "Okay" mumbles my son (he is a mumbler by nature) as he walks out the door to deliver the water and granola bar. "So the man is not going to live with us, right?" asks my daughter again. "Nope, he is not going to live with us, he is just going to paint our curb today." And with that, the man is done. "Come look!" he says. I do and it looks fabulous and I tell him so and thank him profusely. Then I pay him $15.00 instead of $10.00. "Are you sure he asks?" "Absolutely positive!" I say, "God bless you." Now he thanks me profusely and I am a little teary as I walk back in the house to my little wolves. Paying it forward rocks. Later.