Number of days in Amsterdam – 399
Number of days without a bike theft – 395
Days since it last rained – 0
Whether you want to call it Karma, The Golden Rule, setting a good example for your kids or just trying to make the world a better place, I am a firm believer in trying to do what’s right.
Last weekend, while we wandered through the fresh markets in Paris, a woman in front of us dropped €10, and kept walking. I scooped it up and tapped her on the shoulder. “Madame,” I said, gesturing toward where she had dropped it. She smiled and thanked us and went on her way.
It felt like the decent thing to do.
Now, I didn’t do it expecting to get anything out of it. In general, however new agey and good it seems, Karma is kind of a selfish belief system with rewards and penalties, implying that one does good things expecting to have them returned at some point, and one avoids bad things out of fear of retribution. Isn’t it better to do what’s right simply because it’s right?
And hasn’t the world taught us by now that Karma may not really exist, as we watch bad things happen to good people, and positively horrible people attain success and wealth?
It’s simply best to be good for it’s own sake. So you can sleep well at night.
Today, we went over to Kitten’s boyfriend’s house for lunch, a playdate and a bit of a creative project we have in the works. On the way over there, Kitten made a new friend at the edge of Rembrandtpark.
She liked him very much, and giggled heavily when I petted him.
Again, that’s going to be my standup act for toddlers. They love it.
On the way home, we were stuck on a train platform, while the train sat on the other side of the canal. A drawbridge was up, letting big boats through, while we and the train sat separated by a narrow expanse of water.
The sky darkened, the wind picked up, and there was a big boom of thunder.
As the train sat a few hundred yards away, we were subjected to a deluge. It was like the sky opened up because it saw us standing at the platform, waiting for the train and decided it would be funny to get us wet.
Also, it should be pointed out that the storm was a short one, lasting just until the bridge dropped and the train arrived, when the sun burst through upon me as I boarded the train, quite damp.
But really, all I could think was how cool it was to live in a town with drawbridges.
I then went to the store to get some groceries, and an event took place that made me rethink my ideas on Karma. There, on the floor, was a fiver, with nobody around. So I picked it up.
We had steak for dinner.
Things work in weird ways.
I’m not sure if it’s luck, Karma or simple chance.
All I know is that the steak tasted good.
This reminds me of the saying, “Treat others as you would want to be treated. Karma’s only a bitch if you are.” Haha! Glad you enjoyed your steak!