Paying it Forward

This week, there have been multiple moments where I’ve been reminded of something simple, but easy to forget: There are still good people in this world.

With the constant stream of news and information, it’s easy to feel overstimulated and guarded, like the world is full of people who don’t have your back. And when we hold on to this point of view, our nervous system becomes hyper-aware of assuming the worst. To stay alert, to tighten.

But a few times this past month, life has gently shown me another truth.

There are still strangers who show up with kindness. People who expect nothing in return. People who restore your faith in humanity.

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered something online and wasn’t paying close attention. I accidentally entered the wrong address - New York instead of Brooklyn.

A few days later, I received a delivery notification. Before I even had time to check the mail, I got another text:

“Hi Erika! This is random, but your package got delivered to our apartment building. I think it might be the wrong address since ‘X apartment’ doesn’t exist here. Your phone number was on the package, so I wanted to give you a heads up.”

My immediate reaction was a mix of surprise, gratitude… and a little apprehension.

Is this spam? Is this someone I should trust?

That pause, that moment of hesitation, felt important. It reminded me how conditioned we’ve become to question kindness.

I checked my order and realized she was right. I had entered the address incorrectly. We continued the conversation and agreed to meet at her hair salon so she could return the package.

When we met, I thanked her and offered to buy her a coffee or do something in return.

She declined.

All she said was, “Just pay it forward.”

I walked away thinking, “Wow, there really are good people in this world.”

And more than that, I walked away thinking about all the small, ordinary ways we can pay it forward. A smile. Holding space for someone. Taking an extra moment to help. Showing up when it would be easier not to.

This experience brought me back to gratitude, not as a mindset trick, but as a nervous system state.

When we feel grateful, something foundational shifts. Our brains become more receptive. Our bodies soften. We start noticing joy, connection, and possibility instead of just scanning for threat.

Gratitude changes what we’re available for.

The more we tune into this side of humanity, the kindness, the goodness, the support that exists, the more life seems to meet us there. What we focus on expands. What we attune to, we experience more of.

Gratitude is a quiet but powerful way to orient toward abundance. Not because it forces positivity, but because it trains us to recognize what’s already here.

One simple way to begin this practice is to write down what you’re grateful for each day (in a notebook, in your phone, literally anywhere). It doesn’t have to be profound.

It can be as simple as: “I have a roof over my head,” “I woke up today,” or “I got to chat with my best friend“.

The simplicity is the point.

So I’ll leave you with this:

What have you been grateful for lately?

And how might you pay it forward this week?

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