day 12: lotto for the people

mission:

• give out lottery tickets to strangers along with my newly arrived loveistheword calling cards

so there is a part of the project that i left out because my supplies hadn’t arrived yet.  i ordered a 100 minicards from moo.com to give to people that are subjects of my random acts.  moo allows you to put a different image or text on the face side of every card.  on the back side you are allowed to have some static text that appears on every card.  what i did is put a different act of kindness idea on every face side and a little blurb about paying it forward and spreading love along with the URL to this site on the flip side.  the idea is to propel people to pay it forward as well as see the blog so they might get a clearer idea of what just happened to them and why :D

anyhoot.  i was really excited to start handing out cards to strangers, but i don’t have thaaatt many, so i knew i had to tie it to my random act.  it’d be cool to start a little pay it forward mini movement, no?  :) perhaps the cards will help.  anyway, i was pondering what i was going to do yesterday when i passed by a huge lotto sign.  i don’t think i’ve ever bought a lotto ticket.  i followed the lotto signs and strolled into a liquor/convenience store.  i asked dude at the counter for a lotto ticket.  he asks me how old i am and i say 21 immediately, almost defensively.  really, i guess i was meaning to say i was at least 21 years of age.  awkward silence…”i mean, i’m 25.”  he looks at me like i’m a lame and asks, “which one?” “whichever is your favorite,” i say.  he hands me a yellow one i think and says i owe him a dollar.  i thought lotto tickets were like 5 bucks – apparently not.  “can i get 4 more of different ones, please?”  so he yanked a few more out and i paid him five whole dollas.

i’m walkin, pullin out a minicard to hand out with my lotto ticket.  i’m still sort of shy about doing completely random acts to strangers and need to break myself in.  i see an older man (possibly homeless) sitting on the edge of a concrete mini garden fixture and sort of peacefully staring off at the sky – i decide he’ll be my first recipient.  i hand him a lotto ticket along with a minicard and tell him: “this is for you.” and he warmly exclaims, “thank you!”  i scurry off.

next subject.  young woman with ipod headphones.  i’m thinking varied demographics now.  she’s aloof to the world in her music wonder, i’ll give her a little lotto lovin.  “here you go,” i say.  “thanks!” she says.  i’m pretty sure she thought it was a coupon or a flyer or something initially.  i am now forming a habit of running away from my subject before they realize i’ve just handed them a lotto ticket and a random minicard.

an old white couple is walking towards me.  typically i find myself more inclined towards / comfortable with people of color, so i decided to go for a change. “sir, i wanted to give you something…” i offer.  he shoos me away with his hand like i’m a solicitor and keeps walking.  hahhaha, so much for my social experiment.

a briskly walking suited old white dude with briefcase is whisking past.  his stature resembles that of another time.  i decide to persist and give another old white dude a try.  “excuse me, this is for you,” i tell him as i hand him the lotto ticket and minicard.  he asks what i’ve handed him and i tell him, “oh just a little gift…a lotto ticket.”  “oh, thank you!” he says – a little surprised, possibly confused.

at this point i only have two lotto tickets left.  i should choose my subject wisely, i think.  and while i’m plotting i see a young dude smoking across the the street about to cross.  he’s looking a little stressed, annoyed, maybe muttering to himself.  “this homie needs a pick-me-up,” i think.  i wait for him to cross and hand him my gift bundle saying, “this is for you.”  “why?” he almost retorts.  a little matter of factly, yet lightly and somewhat jovial i respond, “just cause.”  i keep walking.

i’ve almost reached my destination at this point.  the honda service center at market and van ness – i was getting my oil changed and needed to pick up my car.  i decide a fated honda employee will be my final recipient.  i go up to the service desk and tell them i’m there to pick up my car.  the guy pulls up my record and tells me to go to the cashier to pay – my car will be around in a second.  as he’s turning around to handle some other business i stop him and say, “this is for you.”  he looks at me strangely as if i’m performing some odd 2nd grade gesture of courtship as his coworker eyeballs him and then me, then him.  i nervously smile, avoiding eye contact – “have a good day!” – SPRINT! after paying, i end up having to return close to the area where the service desk is.  i avoid making eye contact with any of the service men that were near the desk.  at one point i caught the glance of one of the other service men that had been helping me.  i just end up laughing at myself outloud.  he looks at me, perplexed.

that was a fun little exercise.  i need to get better at owning my acts, though :D  otherwise people are just going to think i’m a weirdo handing them stolen lotto cards or something.  i wonder if there is merit in stopping for a split second before running away so i can address a person if they ask what i’m doing and what it’s for.  or should i bust out like the tasmanian devil leaving them in blissful wonder so they feel motivated to visit this site?  but then i’m not really all that anonymous anymore either.  but maybe it still makes it more fun.

alas :)

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