Pay It Forward

I’m sure most of you have heard the expression, “Pay it forward,” and/or seen the movie starring Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt. The movie was based on the novel, Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, I’ll give you a brief summary.

Trevor McKinney is a sweet, sensitive boy. When his social studies teacher tells the class, “The realm of possibility exists in each of you,” Trevor takes those words to heart and, for his assigned project to come up with something that will change society, he creates a plan to try to make the world a better place. He calls it “Pay it forward.”

The basic premise is that, if he performs a simple act of kindness for three strangers and those three strangers do the same for three more strangers, it will create a ripple effect. Trevor had no idea how far-reaching his plan would be. There is now a Pay It Forward movement around the world, which includes a Foundation of that name and a special day each year to honor it.

We live in a dog-eat-dog world where so many people are out for themselves with little or no regard for others. So, when I see someone taking the time to perform a simple act of kindness, it renews my faith in human nature. 

I’ve “met” several such people in the writing community online and in person (both authors and readers) and I want to take this opportunity to tell them how much I appreciate what they do. You know who you are. Thank you!