Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDLXXX

Two separate incidents, similar in nature, and practically identical as they relate to the audacity of some people: The most recent was perpetrated by a twelve year old boy in the store of one of my clients. The other one was committed by a forty-something year old woman several years ago in a retail clothing store I was managing at the time. Here's what happened two weeks ago with the twelve year old: He walked into the store with his mom, and once inside, they each went to different areas of the store. The store has my product hanging on a wall, covering an area about ten feet wide, and he proceeded to pee on as much of it as he could, ruining more than $2,000 worth of merchandise. Fortunately, an employee of the store saw it happen, and security cameras caught every bit of the action, resulting in his parents being ordered to pay for everything he ruined. Now, the other one: The women's dressing room area in my store was connected to the alteration room, with a half door separating them. The alteration lady was working in her room, and she could hear activity in the dressing room next to her; then she heard that distinctive sound, and she knew what was happening. She ran in there and saw a woman in her mid forties squatting, urinating on the carpeted dressing room floor. The alteration lady said she yelled, "Stop that!! You stop that right now!!" The woman obeyed......as soon as she was finished. I was not in the store when it happened, and no one there filed any charges. Most of you by now are probably asking, "Who, in their right mind, could possibly DO something so repulsive?" I believe it goes beyond that. People can DO almost anything, both good and bad, but what really matters is less about what we DO, and more about what we ARE. For example, I could do some research to find out what compassionate people do, and then actually go out and perform some acts of compassion to try to convince those around me I'm a compassionate guy. However, when it's nothing more than an acting job, it has a hollowness to it and fools no one. I remember a well known politician a few years ago who wanted to convince hunters he was one of them, so he took his camera crew with him to record all the action. Once he got into position, they had a captive goose, which they released in front of him, and as it started flying, he shot it, with the cameras catching only the flying goose and the candidate shooting it down. He wanted us to see that he could do what hunters do, but it was obvious he was NOT a hunter. One of the most quoted sermons ever preached is what we know as "The Sermon on the Mount," also referred to as "The Beatitudes," and it informs us who will be blessed. We notice that Jesus didn't say "Blessed are those who do what the pure in heart do." or "Blessed are those who do what the merciful do." He just said, "Blessed are the pure in heart" and "Blessed are the merciful." Do you see the difference? Sure, my wife wants me to perform the duties of a loving husband, but what she really wants is for me to actually BE a loving husband, and she'll know if I am or if I'm not. If I AM that loving husband, I won't have to worry about trying to do what they do because I'll do it automatically. You see, all actors step out of character once in a while. As far as the boy and the woman I told you about in the first paragraph, I think you and I both could name what they are, and although a judge could order them to never commit such horrible deeds again, until they experience a complete transformation of the heart, they can be described similar to that line in a song by The Eagles: "You're still the same old girl you used to be." Preston