I found myself in a weird spot this morning on the way into work.

Every morning I stop by the McDonald’s next to my house and grab a Diet Coke.  This morning as I pull up to the window to pay, I’m told that I owe nothing, the lady in front of me paid for me.  Awesome gesture, granted it was only a dollar, but still, how cool!

So I immediately think, well I should continue this moment of kindness…when it happened.  “Sir there’s no one behind you and no orders to pay for.”

What?! Now, what am I supposed to do? I look douchey not “paying it forward”!

So I ask, "Can I just pre-pay?”

I got kind of a weird look and a “pre-pay for what?”

Never mind.

So I drove to the next window – still with the lady who bought my soda looking (or I assume she was still watching…) and still trying to figure out how to pay this forward.  As I pull up, I look in the 2nd drive-thru window to the indoor counter and see a lady. “Bam! I’ll pay for her”, I think.

Nope, she already paid and was just getting more jelly.

So I drove off, unable to pay it forward, but still grateful I got a free soda this morning.  I’ll hold the door open for someone or two people to make up for it, but the worst part was the lady in front of me seeing that I didn’t “pay it forward”.  Maybe I’ve put too much thought into this, but it’s the mini-drama that played out for me this morning.

Thoughts and therapy accepted.

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