Working on your feet for hours every day in order to earn your paycheck can be tiring. Now imagine if, in addition to that daily grind, your commute took three hours each way. Rough, right? But what if you actually had to bike for those three hours? You would probably be exhausted.
Well, that’s exactly how Samson Adams’ co-workers learned he was biking for six hours every day to and from work: before long, it began to physically and emotionally wear him down.
A Grueling Daily Grind
Adams lives 30 miles away from the Texas Roadhouse in Paducah, Kentucky, where he works. Unfortunately, when he secured the job, he didn’t have a car, so he would bike to and from work every day. It took three hours when he factored in rest stops, but he has a family to support, so that motivated him.
However, one day the Texas Roadhouse Community Ambassador, Joelle Long, realized Adams was always tired. She and her husband wondered what was up, so they got to know his story. Then, when Adams’ bike broke down, they wanted to help.
“I started picking him up. We started talking,” Long told a local ABC News station. “The more I talked to him, the more I got to know him, the more I loved him, the more I felt like this guy really deserves someone to give him a little bit of help.”
Unsure what else to do, she posted on Facebook and shared her co-worker’s story.
A Community Comes Through
Long and her husband set up a GoFundMe page for Adams without him knowing. The goal was to raise $1,000. That would cover an $800 vehicle that Long had found, plus some extra money towards gas and insurance.
What no one was expecting was for the page to take off or the story to go viral. But before anyone knew what was happening, there was more than $6,000 in the account. That was more than enough to surprise Adams with a reliable new vehicle.
“I had no choice but to use a manual bike, and then that went out, and then God came and blessed me with all this,” Adams told WRAL News.
“I thought I was in trouble … I forgot to do something or maybe I shouldn’t have ate that piece of bread on camera,” Adams said of the sweet surprise. “You know, something simple like that. And she was like, ‘No, you’re not in trouble, I got news for you. We got you a car.’ Just basically, I didn’t know what to think.”
Now, Adams’s commute only takes 30 minutes each way — a vast improvement from before. That means the server is more alert and able when he is at work, plus he has more time to be present at home with his family.
“Thank you very much, Paducah. Come and see me at Texas Roadhouse. My name is Samson. I’ll be the best server I can be,” he added.
Paying It Forward
Many people struggle to make it to work every day or to even make ends meet. Everyone’s situation is different, and everyone goes through hard times. That’s why it’s nice to hear stories like these, which remind us that people do pay it forward, and there is light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s always nice to pay forward those few bonus dollars, an extra bit of time, or additional resources you happen to have because there’s usually someone who needs it more than you do. More importantly, your actions may inspire others to give back or to pay it forward too.
So whether you buy a round of coffee or drinks for your co-workers, donate old clothes or children’s items to someone in need, or just volunteer your time to a community center or team, these small acts add up to make a big difference.
You may not be purchasing someone a car and gas, but you could very well be fueling their soul for the rest of their day.
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