A lesson in honesty

August 29, 2011
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I had a moment today where I had to choose between a right and a wrong.

Luckily for my eternal salvation's sake, I chose the right.

I didn't pack a lunch today and had to run down to our building's cafeteria in between meetings to grab something to eat. I ordered a sandwich and picked up a bag of pretzels for Pearl and Cole to eat on the way home. They get a bit cranky on the ride home without a treat of some kind. I sat the bag of pretzels down and told the cafeteria owner what I had ordered so I could pay. Here's the catch though. The owner is blind. So he can't see what is written on your ticket or what you might have on the counter. I was so focused on telling him what I had ordered that I completely spaced telling him I also had a bag of pretzels. It wasn't until I had paid and walked off that I realized I had just stolen the pretzels. I turned around, only to see a suddenly long line, and had this split second thought come through my head, "No one probably even saw or cared about the pretzels. It's a $1.29 anyway... maybe I should just put them back on the shelf. But wait, Karlee (one of my coworkers) was right behind me. How would she feel if she knew I was being dishonest about not paying for these pretzels? Am I honest with all my fellowmen?"

I'm glad I squashed the temptation to just walk away without paying. Being honest, even for something as small as a $1.29 was the right thing to do. It's little moments like these that build true character.