I’m always amazed by the Yin and Yang of my life. For those of you who may not be familiar with this ancient Chinese philosophy, let me give you my own explanation. Yin and Yang represent an equilibrium of opposing forces where each half is dependent on the other half to maintain a balance. Finding a balancing point where darkness and light are always equal is the key to finding the purpose in your life.
Yesterday, I went from extreme darkness to the brightest light in less than 24 hours. If you have read this blog over the last ten years, you know how serious I am about the work I do. In all the years I worked with foster children I was dedicated to making their lives a little better every chance I got. Given how dark their lives were at the time it was often very difficult to get them to realize there was any kind of light at the end of their tunnel of misery. Some of them never came out of it and it still pains me to think about them.
Yesterday, I had to relive my emotional struggles with foster children because of what happened at the store. A man came to customer service and wanted to get a refund for three whole turkeys he had bought at another one of our stores because he had found them for slightly less at WalMart. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with the product and our store didn’t even sell them to him in the first place but I still had to give him a refund of $97. When I explained to him that any refrigerated product that leaves the store has to be thrown away, he basically said, “Not my problem.” I tried to point out that we were taking a loss just to make him happy. Then he said, “Are you saying you don’t want my business.” I said, “In this case, yes sir, we do not want your business.”
Knowing that I had just broken the golden rule of retail customer service, I gathered my thoughts and headed for the store director’s office to give him a warning of what might be coming his way if the man complained to our corporate office. I explained to him that we had done nothing wrong and this man was taking full advantage of our overly generous return policy. I pointed out that wasting three perfectly good turkeys was a cardinal sin in my book and I explained my history with lots of starving foster children whose faces will never be forgotten. He agreed that it was horrible and thanked me for the warning but we both had to deal with the reality of a painful loss. That was a new low point in my life. I could have found a home for those three turkeys and made some kids very happy with a great meal. Instead, I went home with nothing to show for my day’s work. I’m terrible at letting things like this go and only my grandchildren were able to rescue me from the heartbreak I was dealing with last night.
As I sat down at my computer this morning, I came upon an email from my friend in Canada, Jason Henderson. Jason and I are friends because I quoted his grandfather in more than one of my favorite blogs. Jason sent me a link to an organization in Toronto that makes it possible for the disabled to sail on Lake Ontario.
Here’s the link http://ablesailtoronto.com/
Just hearing about this organization made my day so much better and a complete 180 degrees from yesterday. To me at least, Able Sail Toronto represents all that is good about humanity and it helped me forget all about that foolish man I dealt with yesterday. Throwing out good food is something none of us should ever do if we have any compassion at all. Finding ways to help the needy is something all of us must do to prove our humanity. The Christmas season always gives me hope that mankind will finally make this realization and accept the necessity of Yin and Yang, that for every dark moment we have in life we must find an equal opportunity to do something good. I hope with all my heart that anyone reading this blog will take the time to click on the link to Able Sail Toronto and make a donation or at least spread the word in your social media of the day.
Thanks again Jason for giving me something to write about. Your willingness to serve humanity always inspires me to try again. Today, I really needed that affirmation to help me find my true purpose and keep my life in balance.
Merry Christmas to one and all!
©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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