Karma & Tacos

I’m a strong believer in the What-Goes-Around-Comes-Around lifestyle. That means when I think or do something negative, I expect some equivalent adversity to occur in my life.  So I try very hard to keep an open heart and practice compassion, although I still struggle to live this way daily.  I have to admit that it doesn’t come naturally to me yet.

Occasionally, I’m put in a position to make a clear choice about which path I want to take.  This is a lot easier than changing your everyday inner thoughts, which tend to just pop up.  Deciding on an action, however, requires a conscience process, a chance to weigh the options, followed by a decision.

Last night, my husband and I went out to our regular Taco Tuesday for dinner.  When we left it was dark in the parking lot, but I noticed something on the ground outside the door.

“Honey, look!  It’s money.”

I pointed down at a $5 and a $20 bill, because I wasn’t sure if I had the nerve to pick it up.  My husband scooped it up immediately, and as I looked away in shame, I noticed a $100 bill.  Well… we had already picked up the other money… no sense in letting $100 just fly away.  So I picked it up, with much less reserve than I had initially felt with a measly $25.

There was no one else around.  We could see people in the restaurant, but no one came running out to search for their lost money.  I suggested taking it inside, but my husband advised that one of the several college students inside was sure to lie and take the cash.

“What should we do?  I can’t make this decision.  You have to decide.”  I wasn’t about to steal $125. I really was trying to be better at managing my Karmic energy, and that would surely result in some catastrophe later in the week. Plus it was just wrong.

We stood outside, waiting for someone to come relieve us of this moral burden.  When no one came, we sat in the car and watch each person in the checkout counter.  Surely one of them would dig into their wallet, throw their hand up in the air, and come running out to the parking lot.  But no one did.

On the way home, we reviewed our recent good deeds, trying to justify the cash stuffed in my purse.  Ultimately, I decided that the safest thing to do was donate it to charity… at least most of it.