Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Karma, Generosity and Hope

So, yeah - we recently went to the Museum of Science. I posted pics from our trip in my last entry. I told you what a great time we had. But I didn't tell you about the best part:

Back story: There's a local-ish production of Anne of Green Gables on stage this weekend that I wanted to take Sweetie to see. But tickets for the three of us would total just under $50. Too much for our tightly budgeted household.

Instead, I remembered that the library gives discounted passes to the Science Museum. Great! We'll go there instead! Less money and more fun - yay!

But then I realized. There'll be parking to pay for. And T tickets. And museum food. And coat check. And maybe entrance into a special exhibit. And Sweetie will most definitely want a museum gift store prize.

Oy! This is actually going to cost us more than the play!

As it turned out - Hubby drove us there. No T tickets needed. This also enabled us to leave our coats in the car - no coat check cost! Lunch turned out to be a couple dollars cheaper than I figured it'd be. And Sweetie's gift shop choice was an activity book that cost all of $4.99 (rather than the adorable Smart Chick sweatshirt I really liked for her).

But the absolute best part of it all? That would have to be when we first walked in the museum and found the ticket-buying counter.

Right as we were about to head up to the desk, a friendly older gentleman walked up to us, asking us if we were museum members. When we said no, he explained that he had just purchased his own membership and, with that, came 4 free museum passes. Would we be interested in using three of them?

Heck, yes, we would!

Honestly - this generous man was so very kind to give us these passes. The kindness of strangers - it's something you just don't see that often anymore, unfortunately. But good fortune was definitely smiling down on us that day.

Hubby and I have been working so hard at tackling our debt this year. Yet family fun time is still a top priority. How lucky we were that good timing and karma worked in our favor, allowing us a less-financially-stressed day together!

And while we were there? I secretly left my last 4 Hope Notes in various locations around the museum. Just trying to do my part to pay it forward. (I thought, too late in our stay, to hand off our library reduced rate pass to other patrons just arriving at the museum. And as it turns out, the ticket lady had already marked up our pass before the kind man took care of our entrance. So the pass was no longer valid anyway).

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Here's an idea! While we anxiously await Krystyn's next Hope Challenge, let's play the Generosity Game? Cuz take it from me - there's no better feeling than making someone else's day - or being on the receiving end of a simple act of kindness.

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Oh, and don't forget to enter yourself in my Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD Give-Away Contest. You've got a couple more days to do so. Tell your friends!

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