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Trying to remember that there is always a reason, always something that makes you smile during the day- recognizing the event, person or situation that made you smile will make your day seem that much better.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Karma?

I stopped at the grocery store tonight.
I was tired- I worked until six thirty tonight and needed to run into the store to pick up broccoli to make a broccoli salad for work tomorrow.  I went to the one that is one my way home- I dislike this grocery store immensely.  So I walk through the store- pick up the three things I needed and got in line to check out.  It was a mess- the person two in front of me had three separate items they had to price check.  Once she was done, the guy in front of me pulled out his checkbook. I am not going to lie- that drives me batty when someone writes a check at the grocery store.  Plus he had milk and mayo- his bill came to $4.45.   I was not really paying attention to what he was doing, I was eyeing National Enquirer Newsweek.  The cashier was running his check through the machine and it stopped.  She needed his drivers license.  He didn't haven't it and I was watching this poor guy unravel.  The poor cashier couldn't do anything and this guy (who really was a kid) was looking a bit lost.  I pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to the cashier.  She was pretty shocked but took it and the guy smiled for the first time since he had been in line.  It was nice to see him smile.
The guy behind me just looked at me while the cashier started to ring up my order and said he couldn't believe that I had done that.  I shrugged my shoulder and made some comment about putting karma in the bank.  The guy looked at me and said that the kid probably pulled this all the time and it was probably some scam that he had running to get people to pay for the groceries.  I just shrugged my shoulders again and said that if it was a scam then I guess I got off easy and picked up my groceries and left.
I drove home and was thinking about the guy behind me.
How sad is it that someone is so jaded that the first reaction that someone would have had would be that negative.
I felt pity for the guy.
And then I thought, so what if the guy scammed me?
It doesn't matter who he was or what he was doing.
Maybe he was a college kid who forgot his wallet at home
Maybe he was a young dad who had a screaming child waiting at home for the milk
Maybe he was a millionaire who simply forgot his wallet
What difference does it make?
That five dollars would have ended up buying me breakfast tomorrow morning or a pack of cigarettes or any other random thing that costs five dollars that I probably wouldn't remember tomorrow.
Instead, I got to make someone smile, and pay it forward a bit....far more important to remember that than the guy behind  me who was so jaded.

13 comments:

  1. totally awesome! i would also prefer to think the best of the young man and help him out.

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  2. Yes what you did was wonderful and I feel sad for the guy behind you going through life think negative things about people....

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  3. Fantastic what you did there, Col. Good on you! Pity the poor guy behind you., As you say, to be so cynical about things. I loved your comment about putting karma in the bank. I firmly believe that you reap what you sow, and it was lovely to see the first guy smile as well!

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  4. That's what I love about you Nic. The optimist and helpful person. You did a good thing. It made you feel good. It made the young kid feel good and you showed the guy behind you that there are good people in the world. Because someday he might need $5 to make or break his world. Of this I know. Hugs to you my friend.

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  5. What we do speaks louder than what we say. You made such a statement and taught three people a valuable life lesson. Well done.

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  6. That's awesome. this world needs more positive people, we need to see the best in people, maybe then more people would feel like they could achieve their best!

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  7. It's because there are people like you in the world, that's what has prevented me from turning into the guy behind you.

    So let me thank you for this now, because it's always some random stranger that we can never go back and thank properly.

    May your Karma bank always flow in the positive.

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  8. Good for you in having a good belief in mankind. It is so much easier to be the guy behind you, yet so rewarding to act the way you did.

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  9. you're awesome that was so nice and i feel sorry that the guy behind you is so jaded but theni wonder what has happen in his life to make him that way..hugs Everyday Life

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  10. if someone makes you sick you cant just ignore it. you have to figure out why they make you sick, what you have in common, what you don't have in common, and try to understand.

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  11. I enjoy your positive view on karma and this instance. Our world is loaded with negative, it is refreshing to see the positive shine through with a shrug of the shoulder.

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  12. You are wise and optomistic a much better path to take than to assume the worst.
    A positive attitude brings positive results but a negative way of thinking gets one nowhere.
    Karma is cool......Newbie Blogger

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  13. Wow. I so get that world you live in.

    I just wrote a post recently called "Temporarily Disenchanted". I think you will appreciate it and I hope you have a moment to stop by and read it.
    Barb mentioned you in her blog post the other day and I"m so glad I came by to read it.

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