Bad Habits Cost – A Lot!
Is this costing you more than you bargained for?
I was the second in line of the shortest
check-out line. Standing in front of me was an elderly lady, presumably nearing
her late sixties, dressed in very classy and elegant clothing. She had a thick
warm winter coat paired with a fancy bag and was poised in such a way that
suggested she lived a very elegant and refined lifestyle.
As I was the next customer in line, I couldn't
help but overhear the conversation she had with the cashier. There were no
groceries placed in front of her on the conveyor belt, instead she asked the
cashier for a box of cigarettes and a pack of lighters along with some lottery
tickets. The cashier promptly brought the items this elderly lady requested and
entered in their prices into the machine. To my grand surprise, the total
amount owing was nearly $150.00 CAD.
Both women seemed unfazed by this high price; the elderly woman reached into
her expensive purse, took out her card to pay, and the cashier gave her the
receipt. Both parties completed the transaction and went their separate ways.
Unlike these two ladies, I was shocked at the
price shown on the display. Compared to my checkout basket of basically the
exact number of items, the price difference was drastic. I had never really
thought about the price of cigarettes since I have no inclination towards them,
so it was never in my frame of mind to consider their cost. This, along with
the fact of being a student living independently definitely attributed to my
shock at the cost. However, deeper than that, I was affected by this event
because this beautifully dressed elderly lady unknowingly showed me, quite
literally, the cost of a bad habit.
It was a breakthrough for me because up until
that point, I couldn't recall a moment in which I was able to visualize the
direct cost of an action so poignantly. Throughout the dinner that night, I couldn't
stop thinking about the idea of habits, and the cost of habits, good or bad. I
think that habits, whether good or bad have effects on the same things –
relationships, opportunities and time.
I was grateful that I was able to visualize,
thanks to the price staring at me clear in the face from the elderly lady’s
purchase, the cost of her bad habit. Faced with our own bad habits however, are
we so clairvoyant? Are we able to see our own faults before nitpicking at those
in others? This whole seemingly ordinary yet personally impressionable event
that occurred led me to think of habits and time a bit differently. When I
reflect on certain habits of mine, I realize perhaps that I may be paying more
for them that I bargained for.
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