In my email this morning – from my friend Keith:

Hi Beth,

As you know, I got braces last week.  What you may not know is how much they cost:  A lot.  I recently realized, however, that not only will these braces benefit me with straightened teeth, but they will also benefit everyone else by making my smile nicer to see.

With that logic, I don’t see how you could deny that these are no longer “my” braces and “my” cost to bear but instead are “our” braces and “our” cost to bear.  Since this affects so many people, I have determined your low, low share is only $100.00.

Please let me know when I can expect the check.

Keith

It’s emails like this that make me glad to have the friends I do. I wrote Keith back and let him know I’d be quoting him. His response was one of disappointment; he had hoped I would either agree to sending a check or sass him. He was prepared! He shared the response he had waiting. It wasn’t bad. I explained trying to match his cleverness would have been rather pointless on my part. I knew I had already been bested without having typed a single word. “I yield, good sir!”

But on a more serious note, you have to admit he did make an excellent point. His smile really is OUR shared burden. So, just let me know if you’re interested in covering my part, since seeing Keith’s new smile will make me happy, and when I’m happy, I write about happy things, which in turn makes you feel much happier. A pay-it-forward situation. And I want you to be happy! 🙂