Inspiration for paying it forward...fries?

What a lovely surprise to arrive home yesterday, after a busy day at work, to find my driveway had been shovelled (I didn’t get a chance to shovel after the snowfall on Sunday/Monday)! First thought...Sarah? Nah couldn’t be! She wasn’t home so I called her cellphone, and she said that her boyfriend had shovelled it. How sweet! After I got off of the phone, I started thinking about how I could “pay it forward”.

Has anyone ever done something kind for you? Isn't it a wonderful feeling (I, of course, wanted to cry!)? Did you find a way to pay it forward? Doesn’t it feel good to do something nice for someone? What are your favourite “random acts of kindness”?

Well it’s been a while since I watched the movie, Pay It Forward (with the talented and sexy Kevin Spacey! Didn’t you just love him in The Usual Suspects?) so I was trying to remember what it means to pay it forward (i.e. is it one good deed for another?). I’d like to think that I perform random acts of kindness whenever the opportunity arises but what does it mean to consciously pay it forward? I began to wonder (I know, I know...big surprise!) where the term “pay it forward” originated, if there are rules to follow when paying it forward, and what’s happening out in the real world...how are people paying it forward? Here’s what I found:

According to Wikipedia, the expression "pay it forward" is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead. In sociology, this concept is called "generalized reciprocity" or "generalized exchange".

I was surprised to find out that the term was not popularized by Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel Pay It Forward (and subsequent film). The original concept was actually used as a key plot element in a play by Menander, Dyskolos (a title which can be translated as "The Grouch"). Dyskolos was a prizewinning play in ancient Athens in 317 BC! The term "pay it forward" was later popularized by Robert A. Heinlein in his book Between Planets, published in 1951. In Catherine Ryan Hyde's book and film, “pay it forward” is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in repayment of a good deed that one receives. Such good deeds should be things that the other person cannot accomplish on their own. In this way, the need to help one another can spread exponentially through society, creating a social movement with the goal of making the world a better place.

According to WikiHow, here’s how you “pay it forward”:

1. When you notice that somebody has done something nice for you, make a note in your mind to practice three acts of kindness towards other people.
2. Be attentive wherever you are for opportunities to help someone. Perhaps you have an elderly or disabled neighbor who is too proud to ask for help with their yard work or maybe you're in a restaurant and see someone who looks like they could use some kind stranger to pay for their meal. You can change people's attitudes about the world through your unobtrusive acts of kindness.
3. Do something nice for someone you don't know (or don't know very well). It should be something significant, and not for a person from whom you expect a good deed -- or anything at all, for that matter -- in return.
4. Spread the word. If the person thanks you and wants to "repay" you (that is, pay it "back"), let them know that what you'd really like is for them to pay it "forward" -- you'd like them to do something nice for three people they don't know, and ask those three people to do something nice for three more people. The idea is to consciously increase the goodness of the world.

So now that I’ve had more time to think about it, maybe Sarah’s boyfriend was simply paying it forward when he decided to shovel my driveway. Did the home fries that I made him last night (served with veggie meat(less)balls, tofurky gravy and broccoli) inspire him to pay it forward (I guess his act of kindness was actually more of a "pay it back" but you know what I'm saying!)? If I post my recipe for the yummiest home fries (EVER!), maybe it will propel others to go out and perform random acts of kindness? So go ahead, try them then pay it forward with a good deed...or three :)

As for me, I will be looking for ways to pay it forward...any ideas? Does sharing the recipe count as an act of kindness?

The yummiest home fries (EVER!)

1. Cut potatoes into whatever shape and size you’re little heart desires.

2. Soak in cold water for 5 minutes (this is the key to the best home fries...EVER!)

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Drain the water and pat dry the potatoes (this is equally important!)

5. Toss the potatoes with EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), salt and chilli powder (you could add whatever herbs and spices you want to the fries...Herbes de Provence is also a fave!).

6. Spread them evenly on baking sheets (this is also important...don't pile them one on top of the other or else they won't crisp!) then in the oven they go for 40 minutes, turning once, until crisp and golden.

Here's a photo of the yummiest home fries (EVER!) with a little Tofurky gravy drizzled on them (the Tofurky gravy tastes exactly like turkey gravy but it's vegetarian!):

P.S. I think I’m on a whole wheat roll...I announce my intentions to lose weight on Monday then I post a lasagna recipe on Tuesday then my recipe for home fries on Wednesday. What’s next? Triple Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake?!? Hmmm...I wonder if cheesecake is allowed on my cake diet?