hat Mattress came with a prize

I recently was involved with a simple exchange of service and compensation. The service came with some unexpected emotions; you know, the good kind.

I was visiting my sister in Burlington VT, as she defended her thesis. She passed! Super siked for her. Anyways, while there, I acquired a mattress and box spring. All I had to do was get it home to Malden. 212 miles. I don’t have a truck, so I naturally asked jeeves, well, you know, the internet. After researching moving companies, asking twitter and discussing with the locals, the cheapest way to move a large awkward object is to put it on a truck that’s already going that direction. Apparently they do this sort of thing if they have room and you make it worth their while. Couldn’t find any of those, so I ended up throwing up a post on craigslist, just for kicks.

I put the mattress in storage and planned on borrowing a friends truck. That was the plan. Then I got a response from CL. This awesome couple happened to be visiting friends close by. We communicated and we developed what seemed to be a solid scheme. A porch-to-porch delivery service.

I came home from work on delivery day to see a sweet mattress on the porch. Success! COB JOB CL POST WIN! I proceded to check out the curious tri-folded 8½ x 11 wedged in a crack of the stoop.

Excellent penmanship told me that they had donated my payment to a charity they’re close with. Joni and Friends helps families with disabilities. Check em out. They’re great.

I felt responsible; as if I was the generous one. The feelings of credit were false. I shouldn’t take credit for what was done with my compensation. Really, that feeling was the transfer of an altruistic emotion. I looked at it as an extension of the gift economy. This was still a business transaction.

The takeaway is this; every time I tell the story of the mattress, I feel like I’m spreading goodness. It’s not a change the world story. It’s a simple act of charity. It is something small that made me think. I judge movies on how long I think about them after watching them. This gesture stuck with me.