My Name Isn't Earl: An Experience With Karma

A little while ago I was in my kitchen. I was doing nothing really, just my daily ritual, scrounging around for food and not finding any, then complaining loudly that there is never anything to eat in the house, while never actually going out to get anything. This ritual takes place at least 5 times a day.

I saw an article the other day, and I can't remember what it said because I didn't read it, really I was just trying to look cool and smart.

(...It just proves how much of a nerd I actually am that I think that reading the paper would make me look cool or smart...)

But one thing I do remember seeing was the growing importance of teaching today's children to look at society and everything in it more analytically. Instead of hearing one side of the story and accepting it as truth, we should think about other explanations and different ways to look at things.

Oh yeah, but I was trying to tell you about me and Karma. So while I was in the kitchen trying to make food appear in the hopelessly empty cabinets, my brother walked in and asked me to help him with this homework assignment for school. So being a good, caring sister, of course I said no.

Wait, wait a moment, you would have said no, too. I mean, he needs to figure out to do things on his own, right? He needs to learn independence! OK, none of those are the real reasons that I said no, but they sound good on paper. Really, I am just super lazy, especially when I'm hungry, which is all the time.

So after he finished begging, pleading, whining, yelling, and finally crying, he gave up and stormed back to his room. Feeling somewhat accomplished, I poured myself a glass of Coke. One thing about me: I don't drink soda. This was the result of having nothing else to drink or eat. If and when I do drink any soda, if fill the glass to the top with ice first and then fill the empty space with soda. That's just the way that I like to do it. Sue me.

Anyways, I walked to my room with the Coke. Then I watched television for a while thinking about how great of a sister I was. How lucky could a kid be? At that point I got up from my bed, and upon standing the glass (still 3/4 full) flew out of my hands.

It was like slow motion; I was in fits of agony as the brown liquid flew up into the air and then gravity so cruelly pulled it down, down and deep into my favorite bed sheets and cream colored rug. The ice flew everywhere - under the bed, they even broke apart and shattered so that there were shards of melting ice everywhere. For ten seconds I was completely still, and then it hit me. The ugly brown stain was mocking me! It was saying, "You should have just helped your brother!".

As I cleaned up the mess for the next twenty minutes I thought about how much different it would have been if I had just helped out my brother. It definitely would not have taken as long; I guessed maybe ten minutes tops. So when I was done cleaning, I hurried downstairs, eager to put Karma's lesson into action. When I got to his room, I told him that I had changed my mind and decided that he could use some help. To which my brother responded: "Great, I thought I was going to have to do this all on my own!" I cheerfully asked him what I could do. He said "I guess you could start by helping me answer the first twenty reflection questions!"

Darn you Karma! You've got me again.