Pay It Forward

Our trip from Monett to Oklahoma City was generally uneventful. We left Monett about 90 minutes after our aggressive planning model thought we would. Of course, that meant we would arrive in Oklahoma City much later than we had hoped. But, along the way we enjoyed pleasant weather, some welcome sunshine and, for once, a rare tailwind.

If you're traveling from east to west in Oklahoma, chances are pretty good that you're going to be on at least one turnpike. Such was the case with us today. We found ourselves on two toll roads. As we entered the first toll gate, we waited on a sedan from Kansas, which seemed to be taking its own sweet time. We watched the gate attendant engage in a lengthy conversation. Somewhere in there, he poked his head out the window and looked back at our rig. We didn't understand what was going on. After a rather lengthy delay, we were starting to get a bit antsy.

At last, the light turned green and the Kansans moved along. We pulled up to the toll gate. The attendant greeted us with a smile.

"Where are you going today?" he asked.

"Tulsa," was Paul's reply.

"The people in front of you were sure you were headed to Joplin," the attendant explained. "So much so that they paid your toll for you."

Paul and I shot the attendant a quizzical look.

"They said to wish you a Merry Christmas," he said. "I tell you what I'm going to do. Since you're heading the opposite direction, I'll give you their three dollars and you can use it when you pay your toll at the Tulsa end."

With that he gave us a ticket and three dollars.

We were so touched by this random act of kindness. We thanked the attendant and wished him a Merry Christmas, too. As we rolled down the road I recalled a similar incident many years ago when I was crossing the Bay Bridge from Oakland to San Francisco. Like today, I pulled up to the gate and was waved through because the motorist ahead me had gifted me my toll.

"You know what we need to do now, don't you?" I asked Paul.

"It's time to pay it forward," he said.

Absolutely right! We look forward to our next chance to do just that.

In this holiday season, we are reminded that it's not always the big, expensive gifts with fancy packaging and bright bows that make Christmas special. Sometimes, the biggest joys can be found in an anonymous gift of just a few bucks.

It sure brought a smile to our travel day.