Yesterday while shopping for a gift, I reached up high on a shelf to look at a beautiful porcelain swan. A rather large piece, I had to lift it above several other figurines. I didn't know about the lid... until it hit the floor. A loud crash echoed throughout the store. Embarrassed, I closed my eyes, afraid to look. "Did I buy it?' I cringed, asking Elliot.
"You bought it, all right," he said, picking up the lid that broke in two.
"How much?" I turned the swan upside down. "$12.00."
"It's yours," he said. "Let's see if it's a clean break." He pieced the top together. With a little glue it would be as good as new.
A nearby customer witnessed what happened. "This store isn't like that. If you break something you don't have to pay for it. Just stick it back on the shelf," she said, moving on down the aisle.
"Kapparah," Elliot said. In the Jewish custom, breaking glass is a sign, Let this be the worst of it! Both of us were strangely at peace, accepting what is.
Still not clear if I was supposed to buy it or not, I carried the swan with me as we shopped. The same woman rolled by again. "You don't have to buy it!"
It seemed like a signal from the universe, but I still didn't feel quite right. We were near an opening to the cash register, I leaned over the rope. "I broke this by accident. Do I need to buy it?" She assured me that it was okay. "Leave it on the counter."
A woman waiting in line chimed in, "More people should be so honest."
I smiled, feeling like an oaf and took one last look at the swan, her long neck and dainty pink lotus flowers. She was still intact except for the lid on her back.
Later, I looked up swan in Animal-Speak. The keynote is "Awakening the true beauty and power of the Self." The swan is usually pure white. This makes it a solar symbol. "
Kind of funny how this happened on the solar eclipse. I came away with the lesson that when we make a mistake, be honest and the universe will sometimes grant us the grace of a swan.
Enjoy your day with the Angels,
Karen
