Secret #2 in my “7 Secrets to Guilt-Free Living” states: Life is not a matter of chance, but of choices we make along the way. Small everyday decisions make up who we are and where we are in life. So who do you want to be? The choice is yours. Since my name is Patty I got a free car wash on St. Patrick’s day. (Could it be the luck of the Irish?) The young man who was welcoming me to car wash instructed me to keep my receipt as a “rain check” as the storm clouds gathered for a rare rain storm in Phoenix The receipt entitled me to a free car wash for the next 72 hours in case of rain. I very diligently informed him that my treasured car, “SMV”, was going right home to the safety of the garage well secured from the rain. Proceeding, he informed me that even if it rained – but I wasn’t caught in the rain – I could still bring the car back for a “free wash” to get the dust off it within the next 72 hours. The pang of guilt twanged just thinking about trying to take advantage of the system, thus meeting the letter of the law. But what about the spirit of the law intended to help those newly washed cars who were really caught in the rain? This small choice, definitely not black and white, good or bad, determines who we want to be. I’d rather pay for another wash than battle my conscience. But that’s just me.
