I was in line at Aldi and this girl with two toddlers in front of me had her card declined and she looked so fucking sad and said “let me call my husband real quick” and it was only 18 dollars, so I just paid for it, and she was very sweet and then as she walked off, the lady behind me said `”You know that was probably a scam, right?” and like, even if it was, like what a sad fucking scam, right? 18 dollars at the Aldi. If you’re “scamming” me for some Tyson chicken and apple juice and cauliflower, then just take my fucking money.
“A scam” people are fucking wild.
This happened to me, too. A woman had used WIC for the majority of her stuff (which I say from personal experience is such a long and embarrassing process) and to buy the remainder of her groceries, which included diapers and wipes, she used a card, and it got declined. I bought the other $30 of her groceries because hey, I’ve been there, and now I’m not. She was extremely emotional and began to cry and even hugged me. My mom called me on the drive home and could tell I had been crying myself, asked what was wrong, and when I told her what happened, she berated me for being “duped.” I couldn’t believe she could be so disappointed in one of her children for doing something- nice? Is that the hill you want to die on? Getting mad about people needing groceries?
I once paid for a woman’s bill at the vet…it wasn’t a big one, but she was trying to pay for some medication for her dog, and her card was declined. And her lip started trembling, and she says “I don’t get paid until Tuesday, would he be ok until then?”
So I just told them to add the $20 something onto my bill, and I thought she was going to break down crying right there.
And I don’t care if it was a scam or not. Just do nice things for people sometimes.
Do good recklessly.
I think “Do good recklessly” would be fantastic word art to hang on one’s wall. Artistic people, go!
So this has happened to me but from the other side. Several years ago when my oldest was around three or so, I had my debit card decline at Walmart. It wasn’t a scam or a mistake, I was genuinely broke. Out of money. I checked my bank and discovered I had something like 7 dollars left to my name and a hungry kid and nothing to eat at home. So I sat there trying to come up with the best way to stretch that tiny amount of money to feed my kid. Not even to feed me. I can live on popcorn or something if I have to but my kid was three and he had to eat. So there I am trying really hard not to cry while I slowly take things out of my basket to get it down to under 7 bucks, when a lady tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up and she smiled at me and started putting the things back in my cart. I opened my mouth to tell her that I didn’t have the money for them but she stopped me right away and said “Don’t worry about it. It’s gonna be fine.” Then she handed the cashier her credit card and said “Ring up all of it.” My kid got to eat because of her. I got to eat because of her. I had laundry soap and deodorant because of her. She could’ve just ignored me silently struggling in that line. She could’ve decided I was a scam and gone home feeling good about avoiding being duped. But instead she chose to help me and she saved us. So maybe the person struggling in front of you is trying to put one over on you or maybe they are just sad and broke and trying to figure out what to do. You get to decide which you want to believe and what you want to do. But I’ll tell y’all, no one has ever been more beautiful to me than that lady in that line who saved me and my baby. Be like her. Be beautiful.
Do good recklessly
DO BETTER. BE BETTER. STRIVE TO BE BETTER.
DO GOOD RECKLESSLY
One time, my dad and I were living the grocery store and there was a guy outside asking for money to buy some stuff to take home for his kids. It was around Christmas time. My dad asked him if he could give him groceries instead of money, and the guy immediately said yes, so my dad gave him one of everything we bought (meat, rice, some chocolates, milk, oil). At that time, my dad hadn’t gotten his paycheck because the company he worked for was going through a tough time, but he didn’t care, he saw an opportunity to help someone and he did.
Another time, my dad gave 50 bucks to a guy who said he needed to buy medicine for his kids. I told my dad he was probably going to spend the money on alcohol or something, but my dad said that “whether he was lying or not says something about HIS character, but hearing someone in need and choosing not to help when I have the means to says something about mine”.
Aries: you need stability. You need stable relationships, people who won’t leave. A stable work, school, whatever you do environment. You strive the most when you feel like you’re not on shaky ground with anything.
Taurus: you need evolvement. You feel the intense urge to grow and evolve yourself. You don’t want to be stuck in one place, doing one thing. You need to feel yourself be the best version of yourself that you can be.
Gemini: you need excitement. Whether that be wild nights or something to look forward to and feel excited about. You don’t like the daily routine of life, you need something to spice things up.
Cancer: you need creativity. Whether that be drawing, writing, etc. you like to express yourself through your creativity and you need to have time to do it.
Leo: you need deep connections. You need people who expand your mind, relationships that help you grow. You need to have these meaningful relationships in order to feel fulfilled.
Virgo: you need openness. You need to be open to other people wanting to help you. And you also need to be open to the process of trusting another person. You sometimes close yourself off, but opening yourself back up is the most important thing you can do for yourself.
Libra: you need people who understand. When you’re sad, you want people who get it without you having to say anything. People who just deeply understand and help you feel less alone when you need them the most.
Scorpio: you need intensity. You can’t survive without feeling things all the way through. You need to have intense connections, things that make you feel things you’ve never felt before. Just anything that’s passionate and intense.
Sagittarius: you need expression. You are VERY expressive. You need to be able to say how and what you feel without any barriers. You like to be in situations where other people are the same.
Capricorn: you need change. You like to have different experiences. Sometimes it may be scary, but you know you can’t be stuck in one situation forever. You need change to get out of the negative headspace you can get stuck in.
Aquarius: you need love. You need the affection and attention it brings. But, you also need to give it. You feel the most fulfilled when you love something with your whole heart, when you put all you have into someone. Even if being vulnerable is scary, you know it’s what you need.
Pisces: you need relaxation. You’re always helping other people and working harder than you have to, and it’s time that you spend time for yourself, without any outside distractions. You never focus on you.
aries: they are not emotionless, they are just so used to having to be the strong one in every situation. they are surprised when someone genuinely asks how they’re doing, so it takes them a while to respond when having to gather their emotions and explain them to another human.
taurus: just because they are stubborn, does not mean that they don’t care. they usually can come to their senses if someone is patient and understanding towards why they may be reluctant to compromise. it usually has to do with something else, like being afraid.
gemini: they are not two-faced, they just are able to see both sides of a situation and react accordingly to both. they aren’t deceitful in this way, they simply just know how to empathize with almost every person they encounter.
cancer: just because they are very generous with love, does not mean you should take advantage. they can easily cut people off if it means it is for their well-being, and especially if they come to the realization that you don’t love them, you just love what they do for you.
leo: they shut themselves away because they do not want to bring anyone else down with them. it does not mean that they do not care about you, it means that they actually care about you more than you know. they only want the best for you.
virgo: they need to be with people the most when they act like they don’t need anyone. a virgo likes to act as if all they need is themselves, but they crave love just like any other individual and they need someone who cares enough to break their walls down.
libra: they need to express themselves. and sometimes when they are quiet, it simply means that their brain is moving too fast with new ideas and new things to say that they can’t slow down and express it all to you at this moment, but something great will come out of the silence.
scorpio: they need to know how you feel. a scorpio wants to know everything, and that’s why they openly show you everything about them with the passion and intensity that they do. they want the same energy back from you, and everything that may come with it.
sagittarius: being listened to is the best thing you can do for a sagittarius. sometimes the things going on inside their head are too deep to bare alone, and all they really need is for someone to show that they care.
capricorn: a capricorn has enough ambition for the whole world, however, they do get tired just like everyone else. they are scared of disappointment to the point where they push themselves too hard, and need to be reminded to slow down sometimes.
aquarius: they are loyal enough to the point where they will not ever let you believe that you are alone. they will do this to a fault. but they need you to understand that underneath all of this, it is because they do not want to be left alone by you, either. they want the same amount of effort from you that they put in.
pisces: a pisces has to be alone more than the average individual, because they soak in everyone else’s emotions. it does not mean they are tired of you, it simply means that they need to rest and take time to understand everything that they are feeling.
