Gave Away a Free Sandwich

Day 51: Gave Away a Free Sandwich

I am sure most people have a frequent buyer/diner card to some place in their purse or wallet. One of those deals where if you buy 9 of something, you get your tenth one for free. Maybe it is just me, but I get really excited when I earn my free item. When I get that final stamp or hole punch, I feel like I won something (even though I'm only winning more calories and higher cholesterol). There are so many of these types of cards or free giveaways that I come across, and I always am so pumped when I am able to use them.

Recently I was watching an awards show with my wife and I started complaining when they showed the free gift bags that all of the celebrities received. I said to her, "Why do they get all of this free stuff when they could easily afford it?" The very next day, I went to a local place here in Chicago to eat, and I got the stamp for my free sandwich. When I got the stamp, I kind of felt like I was a hypocrite for ragging on the celebrities because I knew that paying for my next sandwich wasn't really outside of my means, and that there are those who could really benefit from a free meal.

So today's random act of kindness will be to give my free sandwich meal card to a homeless person near the restaurant. Moving forward, any time I get something for free as a result of my previous purchases, I am going to make sure that I give the free item to someone in need. I think it will provide a little more excitement for the person receiving it than I could ever get from earning that final stamp.