[2023-07-05] Awesome Ottawa

Under the heading of Better Late Than Never, today, I finally fulfilled a commitment I've had for some seven years.

My story begins in December 2016. I was at dinner with three colleagues in a restaurant in Ottawa's Hintonburg neighbourhood. A woman approached me and gave me an envelope. I can't recall whether she said anything beyond "Excuse me for interrupting."

Confused but encouraged by the sympathetic nature of the bearer of this gift, I looked at the envelope. It had on it a logo made from pink construction paper and the hashtag #10DaysOfAwesome.

I opened the envelope and found inside a letter and a $10 bill. The letter had an Awesome Ottawa logo in the top left corner, like the one on the envelope, and read, in part:

Why, hello there!

Thanks for opening this letter. You were probably wondering what the heck was going on, but now you're the happy owner of an Awesome Ten Dollar bill! Hurrah!

The $10 bill you're holding is our little way of bestowing the honour of Awesome upon you! "We" are Awesome Ottawa, the Ottawa Chapter of the Awesome Foundation, and during our #10DaysOfAwesome this December, 100 lucky folks like you are receiving this little something special.

Why? Well, we like spreading awesome in this city, and we'd like you to help us out. So please, go forth and make this AWESOME tenner count!

How wonderful is that? My colleagues thought it was pretty cool too. Each of them pulled out another $10 to add to the original bill, bringing the total to $40.

I tucked the bills and the letter in the envelope, and the envelope in my bag, and resolved to pay forward the kindness of the stranger and my colleagues.

Fast forward to July 2022. While doing a top-to-bottom clean of my house, I came across the envelope, still containing its letter and the $40. I had placed it in my night table drawer and then, in the blur of my new job (I had taken up the role of assistant deputy minister just three months earlier), COVID and cancer, I had completely forgotten about the random act of kindness bestowed upon me.

To whom to give the money, I asked myself. To a large organization, a $40 donation might appear small, but to one person, $40 might mean a lot. I thought immediately of one man from my community who was without a home. This time, I didn't hesitate. I headed out the door with the $40 in my pocket and walked to a convenience store near my house where I had often seen him.

But he wasn't there that day. In fact, it had been a few weeks since I had last seen him. I could have given the money to someone else, but my heart was set on giving the money to that person.

Fast forward to July 2023. I entered a grocery store today, and there he was. The man I had seen off and on for a few years in the neighbourhood was picking up food from the takeout counter. Here, at last, was my chance. I pulled $40 out of my purse and walked up to him.
— "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to give you this," I said, motioning to the money in my hand. He looked surprised and confused, probably not unlike my response when the woman had approached me at the restaurant seven years before. I continued.
— "I was given $10 some years ago by a charity to use or pass on to someone else. My friends added additional money. And then I forgot about it. When I found it a year ago, I wanted to give it to you. Today was the first time I've seen you since then."
— "What was the charity?" he asked. I froze. I had momentarily forgotten the name of the organization. I was afraid that he would think I was a fraud. And then it came to me.
— "It was called Awesome Ottawa."
He seemed convinced that I was legit and accepted the money. I asked his name. He told me it was Steve, and he repeated mine when I introduced myself. I wished him a good day, and left him.

A few minutes later, a woman approached me.
— "I noticed that you gave money to that man," she said. "Is that allowed?" I wasn't sure what she meant by the question, but I assured her it was OK. I told her my story, and she liked it.
— "I've seen the man often. I offered him food once, but he refused it and said he was fine." I could tell that, like me, she wanted to help the man, and had only the best of intentions toward him. I praised her kindness, and she appreciated mine. One act of kindness from seven years ago helped to make three people feel awesome today.

The final paragraph in the letter from Awesome Ottawa said:

What's the catch? There isn't one. Like the $1000 awards we give each month to forward the interest of Awesome in the Universe, this money comes from the pockets of our trustees with no strings attached. You can learn more at: http://awesomeottawa.ca.

It doesn't appear that Awesome Ottawa still gives out Awesome Tenners. The last related Twitter post dates from December 2016, the month I was one of 100 recipients of the honour of Awesome. However, Awesome Ottawa's program of awarding $1000 per month to a worthy project appears to be going strong.

It might be embarrassing to admit that it took me seven years to pay forward the random act of kindness. But as I've written before, for many things in life, being late is better than never having shown up at all.

The Awesome Ottawa letter included a range of ideas to make the tenner count. I share them as inspiration for the next time unexpected money falls in your lap that you want to pay forward:
  • Hide it inside your favourite book at the library.
  • Buy some tasty treats for your colleagues at the office.
  • Pop it under the parking ticket on someone's windshield.
  • Give it to someone you see doing a good deed.
  • Generously tip the next person who helps you.
  • Add some items to a suspended coffee program.
  • Pick up some stamps and send some joy-filled handwritten letters.
  • Support a project on www.gofundme.com.
  • Pay for someone's wash & dry at the Laundromat.
  • Buy a bouquet of flowers and randomly give them away (as a bunch or individually).
  • Buy sparklers and distribute them along the canal at night.
  • Text "MEAL" to 45678 from your cell to donate $10 to the Ottawa Mission Foundation.
  • Buy wool and knit a scarf...then give it to someone who looks cold.
I would add this: seize the opportunity to be awesome when it presents itself. It's never too late.