Homecoming
October 15th, 2006It was 24 years ago this week that I had a Homecoming experience that made a profound impact on me. I write about it in my book in an essay called “Paying it Forward” (page 53). In essence, some unknown patron of the restaurant where my girlfriend and I went to dinner before the Homecoming dance anonymously picked up our check. I was so touched and grateful I was literally shaken by the experience - in a profound and positive way. Well, tonight, in my neighborhood in suburban Denver it is Homecoming for a whole new generation of high school teens. After taking my kids to a movie this afternoon, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. As we arrived, I noticed a young and slightly awkward, high school-aged couple, dressed very nicely and wearing their corsage and boutonniere. After being seated ourselves and having our order taken, I asked our waitress to send over the waiter that was serving the other section. When he stopped by, I pointed to the young couple seated in his section and asked him to please bring my their check at the end of their meal, that I wanted to pay for their meal. Looking confused, he asked if they were friends and I acknowledged that they were not, but simply explained that someone had done that for me at Homecoming dinner when I was young, and I wanted to make this a memorable evening for them as well. I reiterated that I wanted to remain anonymous, and that he was just to tell them that someone wanted to help make this night special for them.
After paying the very modest bill, the young waiter came by and said that he wanted to let me know that girl started crying and the young man just kept saying: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Surprisingly, the waiter even thanked me profusely and said that his manager wanted to talk about the incident at the next staff meeting. I don’t relay what happened today to draw attention to me and my actions. To the contrary, it was someone 24 years ago that gave this gift to me and I was merely repaying the favor. I hope that this story inspires others to do the same. In fact, if you are financially able, flag down your wait person sometime in the next week or two and casually point out someone in the restaurant and anonymously cover their meal. It is such a simple gesture, but it fills your tank and, while it probably won’t change someone’s life, it will make their day and hopefully inspire them to make someone else’s. As is so often the case, the greatest gifts are the gifts we give others - just because.
