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It don't cost nothin to be nice

Faster horses

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
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Location
NE WY at the foot of the Big Horn mountains
At a Touchdown Club meeting many years ago, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant told the following story:

I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama
recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player, and I was having trouble finding
the place.

Getting hungry, I spied an old cinderblock building with a small sign out front that simply said "Restaurant."

I pull up, go in, and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I'm the only white fella in the place.

But the food smelled good, so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit.

A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, "What do you need?"

I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today?

He says, "You probably won't like it here. Today we're having chitlins, collard greens and black-eyed peas with cornbread.

I'll bet you don't even know what chitlins are, do you?"

I looked him square in the eye and said, "I'm from Arkansas, and I've probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I'm in the right place."

They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, "You ain't from around here then?"

I explain I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I'm here to find whatever that boy's name was, and he says, "Yeah I've heard of him, he's supposed to be pretty good." And he gives me directions
to the school so I can meet him and his coach.

As I'm paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one, and
he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay. The big man asked me if I
had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I'd been there.



I was so new that I didn't have any yet. It really wasn't that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I'd get him one.

I met the kid I was looking for later that afternoon and I don't remember his name, but do remember I didn't think much of him when I met him.

I had wasted a day, or so I thought. When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn't forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day we found a picture and I wrote on it,

"Thanks for the best lunch I've ever had."

Now let's go a whole buncha years down the road. Now we have black players at Alabama and I'm back down in
that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. Y'all remember, (and I forget the name,
but it's not important to the story), well anyway, he's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he's got his
heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on to see some others while I'm down there.

Two days later, I'm in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it's this kid who just turned me down, and
he says, "Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ?"

And I said, "Yes I sure do." And he says OK, he'll come.

And I say, "Well son, what changed your mind?"

And he said, "When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told
me I wasn't going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y'all met."

Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said,
"You probably don't remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a
picture that he's had hung in that place ever since. That picture's his pride and joy and he still tells everybody
about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him..."

"My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture,
but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that's everything. He said you could teach me more than football
and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I'm going to."

I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right.

It don't cost nuthin' to be nice.

It don't cost nuthin' to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breaking your word to someone.

When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he's still running that place, but it looks a lot better now.

And he didn't have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that would make Dreamland proud. I made sure I posed
for a lot of pictures; and don't think I didn't leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football.

I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they're out on the road.

If you remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn't cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable.


Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant
 
Neat story, FH, thanks. I passed it on already.

Here's my own story about some young man who was nice yesterday:

My husband and I were in Chicago and I went out sightseeing with a friend yesterday and climbed on a bus. We'd heard the bus took cash and I had a $20 bill on me. The bus driver started the bus as I went to put the $20 bill in the machine. Then I thought to ask if it would give me cash back because the ticket only cost $2.25. Nope, he said. "You can only put money in."

So I, getting rather embarrassed, started scrounging around in my pocketbook hoping to find enough loose change. (none.) I asked if it would take a card. "Yep"

I pulled out my credit card, but the machine only took transit cards.

A young man already on the bus handed me $2.25 and insisted I take it saying he "wouldn't be using it" which seemed like a funny answer. (who doesn't use money?) My friend at this point found a $5 bill in her purse and wanted to give it to him and I could pay her back later but he absolutely refused!

I thanked him for his kindness, and he got off before more could be said.

Later the cleaning woman for our hotel room got probably a larger tip than she was used to as I "paid it forward" since there was no way to pay it back.
His act of generosity made me feel good about mankind all day.
 
Had one just last thursday. Was in line to fill up the truck and NOT paying attention to pump... Diesel is diesel right.. Was just ready to start pumping when a young man in coveralls and an orange hat asked me if I really wanted to use that pump. I asked him yes and why?? He said that it was a dyed diesel pump. And there it was in large letters Dyed diesel. I thanked him for taking the time to come over and ask.... He didn't have to do that and I really am thank full he did....
 
I probably shouldn't post this, it was told in confidence. I know a man who has done quiet well. He moved into a neighborhood where he gets along OK but it's hard for an outsider to fit in. A young man that was a neighbor worked for him off and on, he did a good job and the gentleman thought quite a little of him. This young man graduated and headed to college, he didn't have much and it took a pretty steady job to afford to pay for college. To shorten it up, this gentleman set up a bogus scholarship for the young man and paid in full his tuition and books. To this day the young man has no idea nor has he shown any humility or gratitude. Of course he doesn't know that he did not get a scholarship either. The young man probably hasn't treated the gentleman very well since finishing his education. If you were to ask this man if he would do the same again after seeing how the young man acts today, I am sure he would tell you yes.
There are still good people left, they come in all shapes and sizes. Be kind to everyone, you never know when it will be returned.
 
A great post! Thank you for sharing! Yes, it doesn't cost a thing to be nice - just a single smile can go long ways with someone. I went to the gas station the other day at night, and I didn't realized my lights weren't on; a man infront of me gets out at the intersection to tell me to turn them on. I was like "Thank God Lord, I feel at home" - this man made my day since I was driving in a very dark neighborhood with some sharp curves, so I know it could have been dangerous..

Have a blissful week,
Sweetbasil
 
I had an incidence of 'nice' the other night too. :D

I was returning a DVD to Redbox. We seldom rent movies but we had company and they wanted to rent a couple of movies. When I returned the movies the store was about to close, but the Redbox was located on the outside of the store. Most of you know it has a curtain that you must lift up to view and to rent movies; the movies are pushed out the slot on the side and must be returned in that same slot on the side. Well, I couldn't get the darn thing to eat the returned movies! A young kid was standing there and he stepped right up to help me. He lifted the curtain and hit 'return movies' and what do you know, the thing ate the movies I wanted to return!!! I thanked him and told him about this thread and said that I now had a nice incident to report. :D He grinned all over. I was a happy camper and I think, so was he! :D

Personally, I'm enjoying reading the nice things that happen to others. I hope we can keep this thread going!
 
Faster horses said:
I had an incidence of 'nice' the other night too. :D

I was returning a DVD to Redbox. We seldom rent movies but we had company and they wanted to rent a couple of movies. When I returned the movies the store was about to close, but the Redbox was located on the outside of the store. Most of you know it has a curtain that you must lift up to view and to rent movies; the movies are pushed out the slot on the side and must be returned in that same slot on the side. Well, I couldn't get the darn thing to eat the returned movies! A young kid was standing there and he stepped right up to help me. He lifted the curtain and hit 'return movies' and what do you know, the thing ate the movies I wanted to return!!! I thanked him and told him about this thread and said that I now had a nice incident to report. :D He grinned all over. I was a happy camper and I think, so was he! :D


Personally, I'm enjoying reading the nice things that happen to others. I hope we can keep this thread going!

That's great! :)
 

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