Pay it Forward

Remember the movie "Pay it Forward"? It was a movie that taught that you should pass on a good deed. If everyone behaves like that then the world would be a far better place. It turns out that sometimes a tragedy can actually be a rainbow of opportunity for your life like that. If you pay attention, you can "Pay it Forward" and make your part of the world a better place.

Sometimes in life things happen that just doesn't make any sense. You find yourself in a situation scratching your head, wondering how on earth did I end up here? When you look back over the past, you might think to yourself "Why is this happening to me?" If you are somebody that just believes that once this life is over, there's nothing beyond, then you might be surprised to discover that there's more to it than you might have previously imagined. Many times people that believe like that believe that, because they think that life is just a series of random events. The same people might believe "that you make your own luck". I disagree with that, and here's why. It turns out that there might be more to life that is not random. Let me give you a really good example of something that happened to me recently, that looks like a tragedy at first. Today I learned how the tragedy has become a rainbow of opportunity for my life.

Last year tragedy struck in my life when my now former boyfriend began stalking me. I have had several years realizing slowly that the relationship was not a good idea. While it sounds like something that you can't imagine, trust me when I say that if you come from the protected background you might not expect the sort of things that happened in my life. I wanted to give my ex boyfriend the benefit of the doubt, and think the best of him. It became really clear however, that he had bad intentions towards others in life. On that day, I thought my life was over. I had to accept that the man that I have loved with all my heart for the past four years had just betrayed me in the most profound way that a person can. Rather than protecting me when somebody tried to destroy my life, he instead try to crucify me. I won't go into the details of it, because it's very personal. Let me just say in summation that he had set forth a series of events that were put into place that could have cost me everything and anything that had any meaning to my life. It turns out, instead that it opened a rainbow of opportunity to my life.

I worked as a mentor to children several years before meeting my ex-boyfriend, in a community of people that were very different than my past experiences. The community that I was serving there was one of poverty, crime and suffering. Many of the children that I had mentored had spoken of experiences that their mothers had with men that were abusive. While I wanted to help, I had no idea how to help. I could have simply called a community resource and signed up to help them. I know though, after having mentored that you really do need experience in order to reach a group of people. I didn't have that experience. I didn't know how to go about reaching out to this part of the community that touched my heart. For years I had known that there was something that I was meant to do in life. Everyone has that chance when they live. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. My life had been very protected, and I felt like rather than just getting a job, making a lot of money and living happily ever after; that I would far rather find a way to leave some kind of benefit to the memory of my life. While many people don't care about contributing to society, there are those of us that do want to make the world a better place. That was my desire. I just didn't know how to go about doing it. I also wanted to make sure, that I did what I was meant to do with my life, rather than just botching a "plan" up. This horrible tragedy taught me what that contribution could be. I have no doubt now what my "contribution" will be.

Today I went to the police station to get a report for a crime that was committed against me this past year. As I waited in the front lobby a woman entered. She was nervous and distraught. She asked the lady at the window for an escort back to her home to collect her things safely. The lady in the front window seemed too busy to help. She told the woman that she had to call and get that escort. The feeling that I felt from the lady in the front window was that she didn't care about what this woman was going through. I knew all too well myself what that feels like because I had been through it too this past year. I walked over to the woman that needed the escort and told her about a service in the community that helps people like her. She looked at me in disbelief. She said, "you mean there's a place that can help me get away from him?" I looked at her and nodded. She teared up. I handed her a card that someone had once handed me. It was a number to a local group that helps stalking and abuse victims. I knew at that moment that I had come full circle, It was an amazing feeling to be able to reach out like that and help a person that is scared and lost. It's a feeling I will never forget. I would imagine she won't either. I smiled as I handed her the card. She began to thank me profusely for the help. I told her what a woman told me in a grocery store one day long ago. "It'll be OK., you're gonna make it". She hugged me and said that I was her angel that day. I told her that all she had to do was to "pay it forward" one day. She smiled and nodded. It was amazing. Afterward I walked away thinking to myself that in this small way a rainbow had opened an opportunity to my life. I will never be the same again. It's something that no money can buy.

Your life can be the same. No matter what your life looks like today, realize that there is a reason that something is happening to you. It isn't random. There's no way I would ever be able to believe that again. I realized that my path this past year led me to this moment in time. She needed someone badly, just as I had before her. Look around you. how can you "pay it forward?" Your life has a purpose. It's not about how much money you can make. It's about how your life touches everyone around you. Let your colors burst. You are original. You can not be replaced. Maybe the reason why things are happening to you actually does have a reason. We are all connected in life. Your life has a rainbow of opportunity that is just waiting for you to spot. It's always been inside of you, now it's time to let it through. There's somebody counting on you today. Like a link in a chain of a huge bridge of life it's time for you to "Pay it forward" when you feel that glow of knowledge. I felt it today and one day, so will you. People are counting on you doing your part.