I think Karma ran over my dogma

I found myself in the midst of a moral quandary the other day at my local Target. I got out of my sweet minivan, parked deliberately next to the cart return, and found one cart in it. In that cart sat a brand, spanking new, tags-still-on-it Vera Bradley. Gorgeous, delicious Vera Bradley. (An aside: I am a known Vera Bradley addict. Her stuff actually causes me to tingle and salivate. I covet. Big time.) I looked around for anyone walking to their car to hail them down and make them aware of this fatal mistake they'd made, but found no one. I picked up the bag. It was remarkably light. I opened it and found a matching cosmetic case, with the tags still on it, and not one other thing. Nothing. Can you imagine? To have this bag, a new print I might add, and just leave it. Maybe it was a break-up gift? maybe it was a stalker gift? Maybe the recipient has an aversion to cotton satchels? The reasons for abandoning this innocent bag were endless. I felt protective. I should do something.

Well, what does one do in such a situation? I called three people to find out what they'd do. They will remain anonymous. I only reached two, and their answers were incredibly different...however, one came from a man and one from a woman. You guess who said what. But seriously, there are some pretty famous themes throughout time that apply to situations like this, two of which are:

1) Finders, Keepers, Losers, Weepers; and
2) Possession is 9/10 of the law. (I think this has been overturned repeatedly, but people still quote it all the time. We know this!)

I had a feeling I was being watched. Someone was doing a sociology experiment and I was the sucker that found the bag. What will she do with it?

She will walk around freaking Target with it, totally confused about what to do, that's what she'll do with it. She'll look to see if someone is looking like they've lost something. No one was running around the store looking for it. That much was for sure. Someone had left it in that cold cart, all alone, without even taking the tags off, without so much as putting a lip gloss in it. I felt that the rightful owner was not deserving of such a prize and I could surely give this beauty a better home. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

I know. Cut the bullshit.

Long story short, I took the damn thing to Customer Service. And I did so because I realized that if Erin or Meghan had been with me, there's no way I would've even struggled with what to do. I would've set a good example and taken it to the Lost and Found. But without them, I thought, "No one would know." Lizzy couldn't rat me out. But then I knew I'd feel guilty every time I went to wear it. People would say, "Oh a new Vera!" and I would say, "Yeah, I found it in a cart outside of Target."

(Crickets chirping.)

Can you believe that? I am such a scumbag. I am admitting it for the entire world to know...total dregs of society. That's me. I actually considered keeping it. I felt better about myself when I turned it in and rid myself of the potential for more guilt in my life. But good God, it was so pretty.

So now I get to the Karma thing...I arrive home from Target and get a referral in my email for a booking. Then, that night Lizzy slept through the night. And last night she did, too. Is it possible that I'm witnessing the act of goodness being paid forward? I don't know. Coincidence, most would say. But I'm not so sure. I've been doing all this religious soul-searching, attending church a couple of times, yadda yadda yadda...coming up short, big time. And then, just as I'm about to throw up my hands to all types of faith, the simple pleasures of life come into mine and make me realize that I don't need to tithe and confess. I just need to be good. And then accept the good that comes to me.

Imagine the pain I would've been saved for the past 30 years if it had been broken down that simply for me?

So I think that I've realized that, for me, organized religion is not in the cards. And I think it's awesome for others and respect them wholeheartedly for their faith and devotion. I have just found my God in different places, not unlike many others. And it's nice to have arrived somewhere with a sense of comfort and peace, instead of wondering if I'm right or OK. I'm feeling pretty good about where I stand. It's right where I belong...me, standing tall, without a new Vera.