thou shalt not steal

i once stole a post-it pad from a printer shop.

it was an honest steal

{the nearby sign said "take one"}

but when my mother asked where i got it, her tone made me feel like i had done something wrong.

so i lied.

i told her i got it from a friend and when she called to check it out with said friend, i might have said i won it as a prize...

well, it is no surprise my lies were uncovered; my mother took me back to the print shop to reconcile.

the owner accepted my apology and the money i gathered from my red patent leather wallet.

then he got down on a knee, looked me in the eyes and said:

you see that building over there?

that is a juvenile detention facility {blah blah blah blah}...that is where you will go if you steal again.

nod. gulp. 

{breathe, daphne, breathe}

his words were not the whole truth but something about the interaction stuck with me.

i can't say with confidence that i never stole or lied or broke any rules/laws from that day forward.

though, with confidence, i can say each time i am confronted with a decision that might maybe come close to doing "wrong," my heart pounds and i get a lump in my throat reminiscent of that day.  

i don't agree with the owner's tactic {shame is never good for anyone} but there was a lesson in there...