Maybe I’m different than a lot
of guys, but I actually like going to the grocery store sometimes. I know it can be a pain in the butt but I enjoy
helping my wife and I also enjoy picking out great snacks to eat during the
week. In fact, I find going to the grocery store can be an enlightening
experience because there are all types of people there, for all different types
of reasons, forming a basic microcosm of society in general.
Last week I had to go to the
Ralphs in San Clemente by myself and as I drove there I listened to the news on
the radio. Most of it was bad.
Actually, all of it was bad, including robberies in Beverly Hills, dui accidents
that injured people, and the innocent death of a child hit by a stray bullet.
It made we wonder how people can be so heartless. I was glad to get to the
store and not have to listen to the news anymore. When I was ready to check out
I had a lot of items in my shopping cart and there was an older lady coming up
behind me with only a few items, so I offered to let her go in front of me. She
nodded her head and mumbled something but I couldn’t understand her. As she
stepped in front of me I noticed that her clothes were dirty and her hair was a
mess and that she kept mumbling to herself as she sat her basket down. It was
obvious that she was a homeless person and not doing very well.
When the cashier asked her to
pay, the homeless lady fumbled with several credit cards but couldn’t get any
to work. This went on for about 5
minutes but the cashier was patient and politely kept telling her that her credit
cards didn’t work. After about 10 minutes the cashier said, “Don’t worry about
it. I’ve got you covered”. The elderly lady said thank you several times, and then
kept on mumbling as she grabbed her bag and shuffled out the door.
When I was checking out I told
the cashier that what she did was really nice and I asked her how much the bill
was. The cashier said, “It was only
$20.00. I’ve seen her around before and I guess I just kind of feel bad for her.”
The cashier also said, “Maybe it will bring me some good Karma.” When she
finished checking me out, I handed her a $10.00 bill and said, “Let me split it
with you. I wouldn’t mind having some of that Karma stuff myself.” The cashier
laughed and said that was nice of me and accepted my help. As the bag boy
finished putting my groceries in my cart, I heard the lady behind me say, “Here’s
another $10.00. I want a piece of that Karma too.” I had to laugh at the chain
reaction going on and I’m pretty sure I smiled to myself all the way home as I
listened to music… instead of the news!
How people treat you is their Karma. How you
react, is yours.
~ Wayne Dyer
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