So, we went to chocolate factory a wee while ago.
It’s an exciting concept – a chocolate factory. Where you imagine chocolate flowing rivers and flower buds of lolly buttons AKA Willy wonka-esque.
Especially when you’re 4.
And in the testosterone, sugar seeking wave if excitement, on parking our car said 4 year old threw open his door.
Into the parked car next to us.
It’s a sickening sound – metal on metal. And this one sounded like an expensive one.
The 4 year old oblivious to anything, made a dash for his Opa. Grabbing his hand, he led him into the chocolate palace of his dreams. Leaving the rest of us inspecting the damage.
Fortunately our old piece of crap was left unscathed. This could not be said of our neighbour.
So we left a note, with our contact details beneath their wiper and proceeded with a heavy heart to the most expensive freebies we thought we would ever have.
We let Ricky get the bill for the hot chocolates.
Our children saw that sometimes you have a choice to do the right thing, or the wrong thing. And even if you might get in trouble, or it might cost a bomb – you do the right thing. The truthful thing. The only thing.
Flash forward 4 months to today. We jump in our new car and drive to the city for a yum cha catch up. And with about 200 other people in an hour we over-eat on dumplings, donuts and fried icecream.
Again, we let Ricky get the bill.
When we got back to our car, my smalls saw the long coloured scratch first.
“Just look under the wiper for their phone number.”
How do you explain to an open hearted 8 year old country kid that sometimes people aren’t truthful. That sometimes people do the wrong thing? And back it up by driving away?
Think twists, throat openers and exhaling.
I was trying to look on this lesson as one of non-attatchment. I suppose it would have been nice to have our new car looking new for a little while. But really – at the end of the day, I couldn’t give a crap about the duco of what I drive. It’s easy to be non-attached to something you’re not really attached to.
What was hard about today was explaining to my small folk that some people don’t own their mistakes. That some people forget that we have the ability to awaken to awareness with everything that we do. That a discerning mind will always follow a certain course of action to reflect a universal light inside.
I don’t see a scratch on my car.
I see someone who has blocked the whisperings of their heart as to what is right. And to what is wrong.
And the sad thing is, my small folk will see this same reflection of a certain type of humanity every day.
Rather than the scratch.
But at least I know they’ve seen the consequence of both choices. Ultimately I suppose, it’s up to them to decide which whisper to hear.
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