This afternoon before dinner I had 30 minutes in which to squeeze in a quick bike ride.
Three minutes in, I passed by a bunch of kids gathered around a table by the sidewalk. They waved and smiled as they called out, “Ice-cold lemonaaade….” They appeared to be by themselves, with no other potential customers in sight.
I waved and smiled back, but I kept riding. I was cruising downhill, I only had 27 more minutes available, and I wasn’t especially thirsty….
And then I thought of Sam’s yard sale, and the universe spoke to me.
“Yo!” it said. “Remember how that neighborhood couple made your son’s day last month by stopping at his table and buying a bunch of stuff that they almost certainly didn’t need? Remember that?”
Yes, I remembered.
“Well,” the universe continued, “in case there was any doubt whatsoever in your mind, let me assure you that this is me, the universe, inviting you — telling you, really — to ‘pay it forward.’ Like in that Haley Joel Osment movie, but for real.”
As I let that sink in, it concluded: “Listen carefully, Crowther: go back, buy a cup, leave a tip. If you don’t, I swear to God that you will pay for it later.”
With a sigh, I admitted to myself that, while its timing wasn’t ideal, the universe was right. I turned my bike around and headed back up the hill.
My Track Record 
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