Ripples in the Dollarama
A Distracting Argument
I was shopping in the Dollarama this afternoon.
As I was checking out my stuff
an argument broke out at the next register.
A customer wanted to return something and
was told that it was against store policy and could not.
She became very irate and
started yelling at the cashier.
Paying For My Chips
In the meantime I was paying for my items
which came to $4.50.
I gave the guy $10.
He put the money in the cash and then
started to give me change.
He was distracted by the argument
so he didn’t really pay attention.
Too Much Change
He pulled out $5.50 and then
also pulled out a $10 bill.
He had not realized I gave him a ten and
thought I had actually given him a twenty.
I Wanted That $10
When I saw that $10 bill in his hand
I could almost hear a little choir of angels singing.
I could see a faint glow around it shining like a halo.
I could feel that $10 in my pocket and
imagined the Frappuccino that I would buy with it.
All of that happened in less than half second.
It’s Just Not Worth It
I I looked up at him and said
“I gave you a 10 not a 20.”
For a moment he was confused and
stared at the bill in his hand.
I could see him calculating in his mind
and I think he thought I was
asking him for more money.
Realization Struck – Shock Ensued
Then suddenly he realized what I was saying
and he just looked at me for a moment.
He put the $10 bill back into the register and said to me
“Thank you.
I can’t quite believe you just did that.
You could have had a free ten dollars.”
I replied saying it wouldn’t be worth it.
His Surprise Surprised Me
The thing that struck me most about this experience
was how surprised this fellow was.
You would have done the same.
I’m quite certain that everyone reading this
would have probably done the same thing as I did.
I don’t think of it as a major feat of morality or heroism!
(Perhaps a parade in my honour?)
And yet to this man it seemed like
quite an incredible thing.
It could be the circles I run in
are significantly different then his?
This Is How It Should Be
As I was leaving the store
he stopped me one more time and said
“I really want to thank you for that.”
I nodded at him in a way that I hope
conveyed the message:
“This is how it should be.”
Little Acts of Goodness
I believe that the more of us who perform
little acts of goodness,
especially unexpected little acts of goodness,
the more that the positivity in the world will increase.
I do think that this man will remember the incident
and it will alter his thinking.
I’m sure it will affect his choices.
Perhaps one day he will commit a small act of
unexpected goodness that will surprise someone else.
And perhaps that someone else will do the same.
Creating Ripples of Love
We are always creating ripples with our actions.
If we can do so consciously we can
affect the world in a positive way.
Ripples that create ripples
that create more ripples.
May it ever be so.
This seems to me a useful expenditure of
attention, energy and effort.
To make conscious ripples whenever we can.
P.s. this concept relates in such a huge way to parenting.
That will be for another blog post!
