Karma and Good Samaritans

I planned to be lazy today, but then I remembered that I'm doing a juice fast tomorrow and Monday and had no fresh produce for it. So I threw on some clothes and hit the grocery store...along with every other human within a 10-mile radius. I forgot it's also the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so I was dodged carts full of turkeys, potatoes, and brownie mix. Except I was only in the produce section. I spent $50 on fresh fruits and vegetables, including: carrots, apples, ginger root, lemons, limes, cucumbers, celery, kale, plum tomatoes (yuck), red bell peppers, red onions, parsley, Swiss chard, clementines, sweet potatoes, beets, oranges, grapes, blackberries, spinach, jalapenos, radishes, broccoli, and cabbage.

Worth every calorie.

I also needed to get some ingredients for the pumpkin pie fudge I'm bringing to Thanksgiving dinner, and that's when I spotted the Hostess endcap, reduced to a single shelf. Naturally, I grabbed the last package of cupcakes - something I haven't had in probably six or eight years, and most likely will never have again (even if someone else buys Hostess or their recipes). I watched a girl fill her cart with Drake's products. I almost said something and then I Googled "Drake's" and realized they are owned by Hostess, so it's a good thing I kept my mouth shut.

I got $40 cash back because I was heading to the seamstress to get some pants tailored, and she only takes cash or check. I shoved the two 20s in my pocket and made my way to the car with a cart full of produce and cupcakes, when a guy came running up to me out of breath. "Did you just drop some money?" he asked. And that's when I panicked. I jammed my hands in my pockets and came up empty. "Yes! I had $40!" I said, nearing tears. I always lose stuff but not money. He handed me my money back and said, "It fell out back there." I almost hugged him. I even said, "God bless you," because I had already said, "Thank you," about six times. I just kinda stood there in the middle of the parking lot for a minute, feeling the same way I recall feeling after I watched a pickup truck flip on an icy road one afternoon about six or seven years ago when I was taking the back roads from campus to my shift at Target. I remember pulling over even after he climbed out the back window and plenty of Good Samaritans helped him out and called 911. I wasn't helping, but I was too stunned to drive. That's how I felt today - my money was safely back in my possession but I was too stunned to move for a few moments. Or maybe the phrase "Good Samaritan" was stuck in my head and that's why I thought of that accident.

Finally, I loaded my bags into my car and started toward the cart return area. An older guy was also heading that way, and he put his hand out and said, "I'll take it for you." I was again stunned. People aren't nice like this anymore, especially not in New England. Especially in a crowded parking lot on a busy shopping day. I thanked him profusely and wished him a great day. I got in my car and sat there fighting tears. I had only walked out of the grocery store about 90 seconds earlier, and in those 90 seconds, I came into contact with two men who I thought no longer existed - good old-fashioned polite men. It's not like I was wearing hot pants with my boobs hanging out. I was in jeans, flats, and my North Face with unwashed hair up in a bun and no makeup. They weren't being nice to me to try to get my number. They were just being nice.

What did I do to deserve this? I believe in Karma, but I haven't done anything super nice lately. I bought my co-workers Starbucks cake pops yesterday. I climbed up the shelves in the yogurt section a few days ago to help an elderly lady get the yogurt she wanted but couldn't reach (I couldn't reach either, hence the climbing). But those are things I would do anyway.

All I know is that these two men have good Karma coming their way, and now it's my turn to pay it forward.