I had moved from the east coast to California with a job in the early nineties. The job was very interesting and promised quick advancement and a very healthy salary, as well as a bit of travel. I was pretty excited about it.

After a few months on the job, it was becoming clear that the pay and the job was not turning out to be as it was described. The money wasn¹t really living up to the promises that were made, the days were long, and the people were very negative, it was a terrible job. To keep the story short and to the point, I wasn¹t satisfied at all and ended up leaving after less than a year.

Unfortunately, I didn¹t have anything spectacular lined up to keep paying my bills, rent and living expenses. I ended up working at a small computer store, trying to get enough commissions make a living. As you probably know, California is a pretty expensive place to live, and I was barely making enough for rent and the minimum payments on my small credit card debt. I was contemplating moving back home, but pride was keeping me trying to make it month after month.

I started to run short enough on cash that I had to be very picky about the way I shopped for food. I was on the "ramen noodle" diet and other cheap food to keep costs low. The small supermarket that I shopped at was run by a very nice man, and we always chatted about my job prospects, the weather and our families. Not knowing too many people in this new city, it was great to have some social contact. He would tell me of his daughter being away at school, and how much fun it was to have his family over for dinner. It was nice to hear, because my family was still back east.

One time when things were really tough financially, I had purchased a few packs of ramen noodles, and some cheap soup, he surprised me by adding in a loaf of bread and a few other small items to my bags. He said that he didn¹t want me to go hungry, that he¹d be glad to help me out a bit when I was a little down. People had helped him, and he was happy to help me a bit. I was really touched by his generosity. It was so nice to have a person do something so nice for me at that time, it really gave me such inspiration while I was feeling pretty down.

With the help of another family member, I moved back near home and ended up going back to college for my degree. But I¹ll never forget the generosity of the "bread man" that I barely knew, he helped me not only eat, but gave me a much needed boost my faith in humanity.

It has always been a great memory for me to reflect back on and keep generosity in my heart. Whether I give of my possessions or a little bit of inspiration.