Karma: Life Lessons at the Dunkin Donuts Drive-Through

In this post, I had wondered, "Do you ever interact with people that, seemingly, everything that could go wrong in their lives... does. All the time. It's the people that frequently start social media posts with "FML...."."

I often contemplate karma. Is it real? Is it the cause of all the wonderful things in my life? Is luck more of a part in my destiny than karma?

I had a revelation of sorts last Saturday morning.

Following my typical soccer mom morning, I was running through the local Dunkin Donuts drive-through for my morning fix. My particular Dunkin Donuts routes the drive-through around the parking lot so that you are not driving straight through and impeding cars trying to get in or out or parking spots. The 10 feet you have to drive around probably causes you and extra 10 seconds, but I am a rule follower so I always drive the proper route even if the parking lot is completely empty.

This particular morning I went the proper route and someone cut right through the parking lot, which caused them to cut me off in the drive-through lane.

At that moment, I had options. I could have gotten road rage and lost my cool. I could have made a scene. I could have caused myself undue stress to start my morning.

But I didn't.

I sighed, annoyed, and thought, "Guess he's in a hurry."

Two minutes later I pull up to grab my order and was told, "You're all set, the gentleman in front of you paid for you."

Now, if I had honked my horn or flipped him the bird, I do not think I would have had my coffee and English muffin paid for.

So, is it karma?

Even if you do not believe in karma as a Buddhist law of moral causation... how about plain old cause and effect?

We have to believe that every single action throughout the day causes a reaction of some sort. And, with that theory, we are still the masters of our own destiny in many small ways.

So the next time you get cut off in traffic, perhaps think of how much different your day might be if you just breathe and let karma work it's wonder. And maybe, just maybe, the theory that we are the result of what we were and we will be the result of what we are will be a positive one in your life.