I have never read the book Pay it Forward, although i would really like to, but I am familiar with the concept. A friend had told me about the movie, but I have yet to see that. I learned about "pay it forward" through a real life incident that happened to my brother about five years ago. My brother was driving in Newton, NJ when he got a flat tire. He did'nt have a spare, money, or even a cell phone to call for any help. A man stopped on the side of the road and asked if there was anything he could do to help. My brother explained the situation and that he no money to even get the car towed. the man, without hesitation, called a towing company and paid to have the car towed. He then drove my brother to the auto body shop where his car was taken to. The man insisted to pay for a new tire to my brothers car. My brother asked him what his address was, and assured him that he would send him a check to pay the man back. But this kind stranger just smiled and told my brother that is wasn't necessary. He told my brother that if he ever saw someone in a similar situation, that he should help them the same way that he had helped my brother. When my brother told me this story I was amazed by the kindness and generosity of this stranger. I was only about thirteen years old, but i always carried the thought with me. Now I am eighteen, and for the first time, I finally got to pay it forward. I was at a local gas station filling up my tank. It was cold and rainy, and it almost midnight. I glanced over and saw a kid sitting on a suitcase. He looked like he was freezing. He was walking over and repeatedly using the pay phone. After I paid, I swung my car around and asked him if he needed a ride somewhere. He replied, "Yeah, Philadelphia." I knew that i was not going to be able to to take him that far, at that time of night. Instead, I invited him to spend the night so that he wouldn't have to stand in the cold any longer. And so he did. I know that everyone thought I was crazy. What if he was a psycho-killer? What if he robbed me? What if he was dangerous? All these question did enter my mind. but I let my intuition take over. Something was telling me that everything was going to be okay. We spent the night brainstorming how we could get him home. We looked on the internet for bus and train schedules, but nothing was promising. The next day, with the help of my sister, we took the kid back home. After the long drive, he told us he would go inside and get us some money and pay the rest to us later. I just told him that the next time he saw a person in the same situation, that he should do the same thing. All i did was give him a food and a place to stay. It was really nothing that financially set me back. I guess what I am trying to say is that "Pay it Forward" does work. I wish there were more people out there who could take time away from their own lives and spend it on another person's life. It would definitely make this world a brighter place. Thank you for hearing my story.