Do the right thing

[Keroin]

Had an "incident" this weekend with the downstairs tenants. I was very angry, as was L, almost angry enough to let our emotions overpower our good judgment. The incident started me thinking about the times in my life when I have done the "right" thing instead of the easy thing, or the thing that would feel best in that immediate moment.

Without fail, doing the right thing feels good down the road but in the moment it can suck beans.

I'm curious to hear about times in your life when you chose to do the right thing over the easy thing.

What was the situation? Why did you choose to do the right thing? How did you feel about it afterward? Etc.

 

[Chiara_searches]

When I was five, I stole penny candy from the store. My mother made me go back, pay for it and apologize. As a young adult, when I started thinking about the lesson there, I realized my mother, for all her myriad faults, had taught me to be honorable. I try to daily "do the right thing" and attempt to objectively identify what is the right thing.

There have been two key times in my life when I've done the right thing even when it was the most painful course of action possible; but those are stories I don't share for a variety of reasons.

Still I wanted to reply because I absolutely agree that in the long run, it is better to do the right thing.

 

[ImOnIt]

I broke someone's greenhouse ~age 10 and to pay for a pane of glass was my entire pocket money and birthday and christmas presents for a year. Putting that letter in their letterbox was difficult.

I met someone who had once made my young life hellish, when he was the musclebound, weed smoking 13 year old bane of my pre-adolescent existance. I was introduced to him recently at a bar... he had stopped growing at 5foot 6 and was thoroughly unimpressive. I checked his surname after the introduction - never have I more wanted to hurt someone. Part of my old motivation for fitness was to discourage attention like that used to be.

Afterwards (eating muesli and walking on grass) I remembered that I prefer to continue to eat muesli and travel where I want. And it's true, I respect myself enough to keep my priorities right. I shook his hand and later mentally deleted the wish to be like him.

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

Breaking up with my ex was definitely difficult, but the right thing to do.

I'm also a believer in karma. I'm the kind of person who finds $500 sticking out of the atm, and take it out, turn round and walk into the bank to hand it in, rather than keep it to pay rent and bills cos I'd hope that if I ever stuffed up like that, then someone would help me out.

 

[YourCaptor]

Ey, no jailbate on lit, you got to be 18

 

[o2bebd]

When I was 18, I was kidnapped and gang raped. I was held for 4 days, beated severely, drugged, and had my finger nails ripped out. When I finally escaped, the detective working the case handed me his 25 year AA coin and said "This is the first day of the rest of your life. What you do with it is up to you." I called my mom and told her I would be coming home after I finished up helping the police. I told the police everything I knew. The men were serial rapists and drug dealers. They are no longer a threat to anyone. They will not get out of jail because of what they did to me.
P.S. Because I was such a good kid, the police would not let me leave the station until I detoxed and got cleaned up. My mom did not have to see me all bruised up. She saw me a few days later after the criminals were all rounded up.

 

[NomadLady]

I am currently "doing the right thing". When my step-dad passed away, my mom asked me to move in with her to become her caregiver. I am single/divorced and had been living on my own for 7+ years and now I am back in the VERY small town where I grew up. I took 46 years of my life and moved it into my childhood home and bedroom. It's not easy but I know, every single day that I am doing the right thing.

 

[4bidnfruit]

When I was 18, I was kidnapped and gang raped. I was held for 4 days, beated severely, drugged, and had my finger nails ripped out. When I finally escaped, the detective working the case handed me his 25 year AA coin and said "This is the first day of the rest of your life. What you do with it is up to you." I called my mom and told her I would be coming home after I finished up helping the police. I told the police everything I knew. The men were serial rapists and drug dealers. They are no longer a threat to anyone. They will not get out of jail because of what they did to me.
P.S. Because I was such a good kid, the police would not let me leave the station until I detoxed and got cleaned up. My mom did not have to see me all bruised up. She saw me a few days later after the criminals were all rounded up.

I'm not trying to belittle your experience but it sounds like you were arrested. Just thinking your time would have been better served in a hospital.

As for me~ i was in target for black friday and i paid but when she gave me my change it was more than i was supposed to receive. At first i was a bit unsure but then when i walked away i realized she gave me what i saved rather than my change. I took it to customer service and she handled it. As i walked away, i said,"I hope she doesn't do that often or that drawer isn't going to be short." I kid you not, she said, "oh it won't be because i took care of it on her drawer". As we were walking out, my teenager said "do you think they are all that stupid'. it was only a couple dollars and considering how long i had to wait for customer service to get there and the whole situation, it wasn't worth it. I should have just walked. Maybe a wrong thought but it is what it is.