My second day in paradise, the day after my work day of pulling too many weeds and also going to a street fair, was thrift store day. I drove to Carmel and got there just after the 10:00 opening. I picked out $10.00 worth of stuff so that I could get another punch on my punch card. After twenty punches, you get $10.00 off.
The woman agreed to give me one un-priced t-shirt for the same price as the other one, plus orange tags were half off. Still, when she announced my total at $6.62, I knew it was wrong.
“That’s not enough,” I said to the volunteer woman in her seventies.
The woman looked at the receipt and said, “I forgot to charge you for the two shirts.”
The new total was $13.65.
“After all, I need that punch!” I said, handing her my card.
There were two spots un-punched before the card would be filled.
“I’ll make it easy for you,” she said as she punched both spots. “You can use this here or at our book store or our furniture store around the corner.”
Woo hoo! I used my free $10.00 at the book store and then went to the furniture store where I found a vintage watering can, a vintage tablecloth and a vintage child’s chair with a reed seat and a quilted seat cushion. The furniture store was new. My good karma had come back to me for confessing my total sale price was too low. Had I not pointed out the error, the volunteer never would’ve double-punched my card nor told me about the furniture store.
At the last thrift store of the day, the volunteer woman gave me back too much change, and I told her so.
“This is a dollar too much,” I said.
The volunteer woman looked surprised but took back the dollar.
“I want good karma,” I said.
She looked at me funny as I headed out the door.
I drove home along the coast to see the purple blanket of ice plant, but it was too early by a couple of weeks. I got home, gave the dogs a treat, ate lunch, and sat down to write my karma post.
The dogs are whining now. I guess I’ll sit in the sun and read the large-print Barbara Kingsolver book I picked up for my sis or pull some more of those dang weeds.
Either way, I am a believer in karma. What goes around comes around. If you have integrity it will serve you well.
If you don’t, look out. Karma has your number.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 