ダグ・イートンさんは、6月11日の誕生日を盛大に祝いたいと考え、友人たちにアイデアを求めた。そして、通りすがりの人々にお金を配るなど、 思いがけない親切行為で誕生日を祝うことにした。
「Facebookでたくさんの友達に65歳の誕生日に何をしたらいいか聞いてみたら、長々としたリストが出てきたんです」と彼はKFOR-TVに語った。「すると、ある友達が『65個の思いやりの行動をしたらどう？』と言ってきたんです」
まさに彼はそうしました。オクラホマシティの北西39番街とメイ・アベニューの角に65分間立ち、道行く人々に5ドル札を配り続けました。Facebookの友達には375ドル以上配ったと伝えていましたが、人々の反応、そして彼が共有した喜びの量は計り知れないものでした。
遠くから見ると、イートンは街角で看板を掲げる他の物乞いと何ら変わりないように見えた。しかし、金銭を乞う代わりに、彼の看板にはこう書かれていた。「家もあるし…車もあるし…仕事もある。コーヒーを飲むのに少しお金が必要だろうか？」
何度も通り過ぎる人たちは、彼の看板を正しく読んだかどうか気になっていました。彼が現金を渡すと、多くの人が「信じられない」とか「ありがたい」とつぶやきました。お金を受け取るのをためらう人もいて、彼は「大丈夫、ありがたいことだよ」と言い、これが彼なりの節目の誕生日の祝い方だと説明しなければなりませんでした。「明らかに困窮している家族を乗せたトラックが、1回目は誤解していたにもかかわらず、2回目にやって来て、私がしていることに感謝しようと2ドルくれました」と彼はFacebookで友人たちに語りました。「私は彼らのお金を受け取り、さらに5ドル渡しました。いわば、ありがたいことを交換したようなものです」
「人生で見た中で一番クレイジーな男だと思う。最高だ！」と、ある運転手はKFORに語った。「この瞬間を楽しんでいるよ」
「本当に素晴らしいです」とイートン氏はテレビ局に語った。「お金を受け取らない人の中には、『本当に素晴らしい活動ですね。私は受け取りませんが、困っている人に分け与えてもらえませんか？』と言ってくれる人もいます」
イートンさんの誕生日のインスピレーションは、2010年に38歳の誕生日を38の思いやりある行動で祝い、家族や友人にも参加を呼びかけたロビン・ボーマーさんのものと似ている。
「念のため、事前に38個もの計画を立てたんだけど、本当にその日一日を通してチャンスが巡ってくることを祈っていたの」と彼女は自身のブログ「 Mix Mingle Glow 」に綴った。「夫と3人の娘、そして夫の両親が、人生で一番素敵な誕生日に来てくれて、本当に嬉しかった！」
彼女は溢れ出る支援に感動し、特別な日を祝い幸運を他の人に還元するオンライン コミュニティ「The Birthday Project」を立ち上げました。
お金を配るのに費やした65分は、イートン氏がその日に見せた唯一の思いやり行為ではなかった。Facebookに投稿したメモによると、彼は他にも12ドルのヘアカットに50ドル、1.09ドルのコーヒーに10ドル支払った際、「お釣りはとっておいて」と言ったり、地元のレストランで何人かの客に昼食をおごったり、見知らぬ人とその娘にバス代をあげたりした際にも「お釣りはとっておいて」と言ったという。
「この日は、ここ数年で一番の祝福の一つだ」と彼はFacebookの友達に語った。「また次の誕生日まで待てるかどうかわからない。でも、もしこれが習慣になったら？ あるいは、みんな、あるいはたくさんの人が、誕生日に誕生日の数だけ、思いがけない親切をしたら？ どれほど素晴らしいことだろう？」
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Dear Mr / Ms,hi brother, I need your help. I beg you please free me from this painful pain . I really beg you from the core of my heart. I am hopeless. I apologize for this my email,I have no money for my MBA degree final year,ever since i lost my father,who was supporting me,am a lone,no one is there to help me and am in India where i have got stranded without any help,please i ask you to help me finish my MBA degree and be able to go back home help my mother who is sick. By this email, I beg for your help to solve my problem. Am in a difficult situation. I am suffering every day. I need $ 2000 dollars to complete my MBA degree, my name is kayondo swaliki am from Uganda East Africa but am currently in India where am stranded because is do not even have a ticket to go back home or complete my education since i do not have money.Please i will give all my details thanks ,May God keep you safe for me.
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[Hide Full Comment]very cool..........
HI, I love this, thank you for sharing!
I don't always have cash to share, however, I do share acts of kindness whenever possible.
I celebrate my Birthday & several other holidays organizing and sharing Free Hugs all over the world with anyone who wants one. I've never received a bad hug. Yes, I Hug homeless people. When someone smiles and tells you, they had not been hugged in 20 years, that impacts you. People share the most intimate details of their lives in the moment. People share about job losses, death of spouses, insecurities. The Most powerful hug I ever received was from a severely autistic boy in Paris. He saw us out of the corner of his eye and asked his mother what we were doing. To our relief, she did not say we were crazy, she said, "They are hugging people, it's beautiful." And soon they were gone. Ten minutes later, I heard the sound of running feet and this boy leaped into my arms, hugging me, laughing and looked me right in the eyes. Then I saw his mother, tears streamed down her face. I gently set the boy down and approached her, apologizing. She reached out and hugged me, whispering to me, "I don't believe this, he is severely autistic. He hardly ever hugs me or his father, and to look someone in the eye? Never. He hugged you, a complete stranger. You are special." I held her closer and whispered back, "And so are you." So are You. <3
I also hand out bottles of bubbles to strangers, amazing how much a bubble can break down a barrier.
September 3rd I'll be doing Free Hugs wherever I am and yes, handing out bottles of bubbles, too.
[Hide Full Comment]A new Theme for a Birthday part............one that put an enormous smile on my face, inspiration to do this for my B'day too. Thank you!!!
Wow....I really needed this story today in view of the tragic events in my homestate. It also took me back a few weeks to when I flew back east and surprised my niece for her 11th birthday. It was the BEST birthday I ever had....and it wasn't even mine. Keep the positive stories flowing!
What a cool idea. I signed up for this website because I am so burned out by the daily barrage of "bad news" - I needed uplifting restorative stories to revive my belief in the Human Spirit.
Thanks to all the inspiring stories published here.
Thank you so much for featuring this article. The response from people all over the world (literally) has been overwhelming and inspiring. This could really become something that shifts in the way we as a society celebrate our birthdays. What better way to celebrate the day you were born than by giving the gift of YOU?
This gives me something to think about for my next birthday. For the last two birthdays (I always throw myself a party), folks were asked to bring canned goods for the local food pantry rather than gifts for me. It has been a huge success and I will continue the tradition.
We should all open up our hearts and do kindness things all the time. They can be tiny to great... whatever presents itself is Spirit giving you a chance. Living your life in this mindset is the best gift you can give to others and to yourself. Be Blessed, Stay Blessed
too cool. I am doing it.
How wonderful! Such a small gesture and I am sure such a big difference!! I am inspired to do something good today.
This type of story makes an impact. The original story was posted on Shine (Yahoo) and at this time more than 5,000 comments have been posted. Thank you!!!!!!
Nice story. One of my favorites.