If you hadn’t already guessed I am a huge fan of doing things for others. It is part of my DNA thanks to my parents. Not everyone has this in their makeup but I am ever so grateful that it is one of my gifts. I do consider it a gift. I try not to do things overtly and to bring attention to “Hey look at me!” although that does sometimes happen. When I see something that someone else has done that inspires me I like to share. So today I will share a little story I saw on a Facebook feed. (It’s not ALL politics and discord on there if you curate your feed).
I follow Molly Grantham from WBTV on Facebook and she is known for quite often highlighting really heart warming and touching stories. Recently she shared about her encounter with a young man named Tony Puczylowski who used to live in Charlotte. They became acquainted as he was a server at a restaurant that she frequented. They lost touch with each other and then out of the blue he messages her.
Tony recalls how a weekly outing when he was growing up made him realize that his father was teaching him a lesson without him really knowing it. On Saturdays they would walk to McDonald’s which was a two mile walk. On the way they would pick up trash. When they got to McDonald’s they would eat and play in the playground while their dad drank coffee and read the paper. On the way home they would pick up more trash. He looked forward to the special time with his dad but never really connected it with doing for others.
He goes on to tell about a recent experience when someone helped him out of a little jam and how grateful he was. They wouldn’t take money or even let him buy them dinner so he is doing what he can to show his gratitude. He calls it his #FillABagChallenge. He keeps a roll of garbage bags in his truck and stops to pick up trash wherever he is. What he promised these folks who helped him was that he would pick up a bag of trash in honor of each of them and he did. His goal this month is to fill a bag a day – 30 bags – to complete his #FillABagChallenge.
A pretty simple thing but one that is appreciated and something that he learned as a life lesson as a kid that he really didn’t realize. Small gesture – big impact.
I would love to read more stories like these and highlight them so if you have one please throw it my way in the comments. Remember that each comment on the blog this month goes to support our Comments for a Cause – Emergency Covid- 19 Combat Service.
If you would like to read the original Facebook post I am referring to please click here to go directly to that post.
4 Comments
Leave a commentWhat a beautiful thing to do. Ash and I do something similar – one of the ways students can get community service hours is by doing beach clean-up up and down the coast here in Florida. Most of them only do it the day of the scheduled clean-up. Ash and I have gotten to the point that whenever we are at the beach we end up picking up trash. We usually end up finding some type of plastic bag that we then use to pick up the debris. It always amazes me how much gets left behind and how much washes up out of the ocean.
What a wonderful thing Tony’s father taught his children’ without them even knowing til they are grown.. Congrats to Tony!!! I love to hear were people are just kind to others with out asking anything in return except kindness.
Stories like this of people’s goodness and kind acts uplift me. Thank you.
I love stories like this! Thank you for sharing it. When Michael was about three, our family used to take peanut butter sandwiches to the shelter nearby. We explained they were for people that didn’t have homes. He said, “Where do they hang their pictures?”
“I guess they don’t have any right now.” The next day he was madly coloring with his markers n his coloring book and it went on for days. Finally he said, “Ok, it’s done.” “What’s done?”
“We have to cut this (coloring) book apart and take the pictures to the people downtown.”
“OK, why is that?” “Well, everybody needs a picture even if they don’t have a home.”
I sent a big folder to the shelter. A few days letter Michael got a personal letter from the director saying he shared his art with the visitors as they came for dinner. The people at the shelter were quite touched. He continues to volunteer at various places. I think It is one of his special gifts, too.