Originally Posted by
TINMACK
Well, you know even the rainy weather today(or the dark clouds in our own lives some other days) can't wipe the smile off my face.
Looking back on page 10 of this thread, it was noted that you didn't have to wait until Halloween to give out free toothpaste. Well, darned if I didn't have a heartwarming idea right then and there.
So I headed down to the local Sprawl-Mart and loaded up with lots of toothpaste and toothbrushes - there was a pricing/coupon wording error so they basically paid me to take it out of the store. After I loaded it into my truck, I was a veritable dental supply shop hurtling down the highway.
I dropped by the local orphanage, and showed the ladies the toothpaste and brushes I had for the kids.
"Bless you Mr. Mack", one of them said, tears welling up in her eys.
"Eyyyyyyy, right back atcha, sistah", I said. A little too much, but every time I put on this leather jacket I have Fonzie flashbacks.
"Say", I asked them, "would you mind if I took a few of those teenagers over there on a "field trip" so they could learn how to use the toothpaste and brushes?"
"Bless you again", she said, and I just nodded and :top::top::top:
As they piled into the back of my pickup truck, a couple made some comments about the lack of seatbelts/handles to hold onto.
"Ahhh no problem", I reassured them, "we're only going on the highway, and I won't be doing more than 110, so lean into it!!" They all chuckled and agreed that the fresh air might do them good. That, and the cold drizzle that was currently falling.
Well, anyways, we got to my place and they climbed out.
"Hey mister", one of them said, "I thought we were going to the dentist?"
"Why would you think that", I replied with a smile. "Well, you told them we were going some place to learn how to use the toothpaste and brushes..."
"Of course, it's right here", I replied. They stared at me blank faced. Oh, those young scallywags, the hope of the next generation.
"You see", I began, "toothpaste is an excellent stain remover in general cleaning applications. For example, fogged chrome can be polished with it, fogged headlghts on a car, flooring stains, etc."
They grumbled a bit, but got right to the work at hand. A couple of times throughout the day I had to duck to avoid the odd rock flying at my head but there's a lot of squirrels around and I assume the kids were just horsing around.
After they finished, everything gleamed from the power of the toothpaste and their endless buffing. Good thing I had lots of those Scotts shop towels for them to use.
After a meal of some Hamburger Helper(the beef was free with the $3.00 coupon) I set about teaching them the finer points of couponing. We had some classes/role plays on shelf clearing, tear pad stealing, grabbing the pink stickers off stuff you weren't actually buying yourself but could use on other items, cashier profiling, finding flyers with printing errors and using them to price match at other stores, etc.
By the end of the day I felt like a regular Artful Dodger, with a little bit of Fagin thrown in to round things out. I had my own little coupon gang - I named them "The Dickens", and promised we'd gang up on some stores soon.
Then I threw some soap at them(Irish Spring - almost free with the Smart Source coupon)and they used it to freshen up their clothes and shoes.
Then I grabbed the garden hose and hosed them off. They complained that they were soaked, but I told them that the drive back in the open air would dry things off. That, and I promised to drive a little faster on the highway to really cause that "drying effect".
So, you know, you just never know how you can make a difference, pay it forward, or just a simple random act of kindness(ROAK) to make the world a better place.
It's a damp and chilly day here, but all I need is the glow in my heart to keep me warm.....