The biggest entertainment story of the week: the royal family photos? No. Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey in the film adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey? Nope. Kim and Kanye getting engaged? Absolutely not. There's nothing to say about any of them except what was just said. So for this week's biggest entertainment story, I chose Ellen Degeneres giving a big pay off to a person who tried doing something good for someone else, actually two other people. 

A waitress in New Hampshire, Sarah Hoidahl, was at work one day and realized she was serving two women in the National Guard. She overheard them talking about how they wanted to keep the meal light because they had been furloughed because of the government shutdown. So she decided to pay for their meals. She left them a note thanking them for the service, telling them their meals were on her this time. A picture of the receipt was posted on the internet and went viral. Now, this is of course when Ellen Degeneres found the note and decided to give back. 

Degeneres invited Hoidahl on to her show to talk about the incident. She didn't have much money herself, living with her mom and raising her 15 month old son, but she still gave back. Degeneres had her explain what happened, and as somewhat of a joke, she repaid the waitress the total that the bill was, $27.75. Degeneres started to joke with Hoidahl that she needed to be able to watch her show because she heard that she needed a new television because hers recently broke. Ellen's crew came out with a brand new television for her. But that wasn't enough. Degeneres then surprised Hoidahl with a $10,000 check. Degeneres said, "That's for you because you're amazing." Hoidahl started crying and thanked Degeneres for her generosity. 

This isn't the first time Degeneres has done something like this though. At the end of her show, she always says, "Be kind to one another," and she takes that seriously. She has a section on her website where you can nominate "a deserving person in need" to be on the show. She's helped families by giving them money and redecorating their home, she's given thousands of dollars to different charities, and just shares her appreciation for people who are doing good in the world. 

Ellen Degeneres is just one of those people who is always looking to give back. She's known for doing that, and I think it's awesome. She is teaching her audience and everyone else that it's a good thing to give back. This is something people need to start paying attention to. Sarah Hoidahl noticed two women deserved a pay off and did something about it. Being kind to one another like Ellen puts it doesn't mean you have to put out money, it could mean  something as simple as opening the door for someone. 

I'm not saying we need to be like Ellen because we're not all big celebrities, but this is something that has been lost, especially with my generation. People are too worried about what their smart phone is telling them that they stop paying attention to people and start paying attention to what move they are going to make on Words With Friends or what song they want to listen to next. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in technology or our own lives that we don't think about other people. This waitress did something as simple as just listening to these women and paying for their meals to help them out. 

So I challenge you this week to do something for someone else. Like I said, it can be as simple as opening the door for someone or helping someone put groceries in their car or asking someone how their day is going and actually listening to them and starting a conversation or let that person with only one item behind you in the grocery store go before you. It will only make their day that much better and make you feel like you've actually done something with your day. If you want to take things a step farther and spend some of your own money, then pay for someone's coffee behind you in line. I hope you don't read this article and just think about going out and paying it forward. Actually go and do something. Share this with your friends, family, and anyone you know and see how many people pay it forward. Not just Ellen can give back, we all can. I know I will start being more conscious of others and try to do something for others more often, but will you?