Monday, December 26, 2011

Parking Meter Quarters

As anyone who lives in or visits a city knows, parking can be difficult and keeping track of feeding the meter is an added challenge at times.  I normally park in a garage, but this week I grabbed a street space in order to run a few packages out of my place and into the car.  I dutifully put four quarters into the meter to buy myself an hour which was definitely a more than ample amount of time.  On my third trip down I found a $25 parking ticket on my windshield.  Quickly I realized that I had made an error and put my quarters into the wrong meter.  So while I had to write out a check to the city, the person behind me was spared because I unknowingly fed his meter!

This experience got me thinking about the simple kindness of feeding a meter for someone else and allowing them to spend the $25 they would have paid in a fine on something that will spread kindness and compassion forward.  As an example, I frequently volunteer at a charity that can feed an individual for one week with a $25 donation.  What an impact!

So, I have allocated $10 in quarters to paying meters for other people.  If I am walking down the street and see a meter flashing I will pop a quarter in and give the gift of 15 minutes in the hopes the recipient will in turn pay the kindness forward.

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