What is a Good Beet?

I do not know what Good Beet is yet. I had originally hoped that Good Beet would be a sort of “Pay it Forward” social media site, where people could report acts of kindness. Each act of kindness could then be mapped forward or back, creating a visual of the impact and narrative of small acts of kindness for others.

How could I start this? I told my younger sister my idea was to create a QR code for Good Beets to share their story. It could be passed from person to person to map where the goodness started and how it expanded. I told her I would start by giving someone in the grocery store, at random $100 and the ‘code’ but say nothing about passing it on.  She did laugh at me for this.

In the drive-thru line at the local Moxie Java at 6:45a.m., disheveled looking after attending hot yoga that morning, I was in line to buy coffees for my family’s Wednesday coffee day.     A woman walked up to my open window, while I was fiddling with my phone.  When I looked up she extended her hand with a crisp five dollar bill, and she said, “I just saw you sitting here, and I wanted to give you this and wish you a wonderful day.”  I was so jarred by the unexpected approach and offering that I am not sure I even socially appropriately denied the gift. I think I said, “Are you sure?”  She insisted, and I thanked her and said something I do not normally say, “Bless You.”

Between that moment and the window, many thoughts rushed through my brain. Why was I given this gift? What is God telling me? Was there a connection between sensing the yoga instructor’s low mood from his shoulder pain and my saying “Have a wonderful day” when I left?  Was I being tested to see if I was a Good Beet, that  I should pay it forward somehow?  Should I use this same bill?  Should it be random?  Where and who should I give it to? I put the five dollar bill in the center console of the truck.  I approached the window and paid, received my coffees, and when she asked would I like to leave a tip, I looked at the console.  Should I get rid of this now is what I thought.  Should I get rid of this obligation to pay it forward, so I do not have to think of other ways to do it.  I had already used my card, so I did leave a tip on the card, although it was not the amount of $5.  I thought, I will do this half kindness now until I know what to do with the bill. 

I was troubled all the way home, wondering how I should spend the entire bill or at least the remainder.  Four coffees were traveling with me and they had put them in a drink carrier.  I made it all the way to the left turn bump in my neighborhood, before one of the coffees fell to the passenger seat, and then to the floor.  I watched it in slow motion, thinking about how I could recover it, since the lid had not yet popped off.  The full cup hit the floor.  Lid still on.  There was a long second, in which I still thought I could save it.  Then the lid popped off and just as slowly drenched the floor.  Within another minute I made it home. 

In that minute thinking, was that my coffee or my daughter’s coffee?  If it was her coffee, would I go back out to get her a new one?  I thought yes, of course.  Then I thought, well, she won’t be up for another few hours, I can go out later.  When I arrived home, after one minute, I found out it was mine.  Then immediately felt guilty for the idea that I might have put off replacing her coffee, because I most certainly was prepared to replace mine. 

I delivered the remaining coffees safely and returned to the truck. I went three minutes down the road to the other Moxie, pulled out my crisp five dollar bill, and said to myself, 'She told you to have a wonderful day. No use crying over spilt milk and espresso.' Did she foresee that my coffee would spill? Should I have paid that bill forward? I think not. She meant that for me, whether she predicted the future or not. And I will be happy to pay it forward in other ways, every day, because that is what Goodness is.  Goodness is something you always have with you that you can always transfer to others.  Perhaps selfishly, I allowed myself to keep another’s Goodness for me, and perhaps not selfishly, but because I am human, I needed a little Goodness to be given.  I wish I knew who this woman was, because she did make my day.  I am grateful for her small act of kindness, because it was large to me.