Free lottery ticket day! When you are short on time and planning being nice costs you money. I managed to give out $10 worth of lottery tickets very quickly today.
I did try to establish a couple of things for the future. I messaged a long lost friend in order to send him a gift. I looked into nursing homes in the area to start doing a performance. I looked at more and more random acts of kindness. But trying to squeeze something in between two jobs I had to get done today and quality time with my wife made me turn to a quick and easy (if not totally painless) method. Giving lottery tickets to strangers.
I went to the gas station that I always go to and purchased 10 one dollar lottery tickets. I really don't like the lottery but I figure giving it as a gift isn't really playing into the whole gambling addiction, preying on the poor aspects of the lottery that I despise. I bought the "$500 a week for life!" tickets. I hope somebody wins the grand prize. I didn't really look at the odds on the back of the tickets but I figured out of 10 tickets one of them is probably a winner.
I decided I would give them to the ladies at the gas station and the guys at the comic book shop I used to go to all the time. The lady behind the counter at the gas station wasn't someone that I am used to seeing but I told her she could have a ticket and asked her to pass them out the the ladies that work there all the time. I said I didn't have a chance to get them anything for Christmas so this was a belated gift. It was easier than explaining that I'm trying to be a better person and this was part of that process. She said "Thanks, that's so nice." She seemed a little weirded out but geniunely grateful.
When I gave them to the owner of the comic shop I said the same thing and he was totally unphased. "Oh okay. Thanks." I don't even think he made eye contact with me. Oh well. I tried to switch places and wondered if my reaction would be any different. I think it probably would have been but the more important part is that the whole fucking thing was supposed to be anonymous anyway. If it would have been anonymous (I could have done this by leaving in them in their mailbox) then I wouldn't have seen his reaction and it wouldn't have mattered. I wouldn't have given it a second thought. I still left satisfied but I clearly need to work on the anonymous part of the anonymous kindess attacks. I'm too judgmental of people's level of gratitude.
Geez. Again, I end up feeling like an asshole after doing something nice. Clearly more work needs to be done.
Money spent so far: $19.87
No comments:
Post a Comment