How Low Will You Go?

This happened:

It was last Friday. For a lot of reasons, Friday was a hectic and stressful day following a nearly sleepless Thursday night. That wasn’t why the guy seemed so creepy, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

“Get gas” was the fifth item on my to-do list, and there was an empty pump at the huge gas station I usually avoid. I was jamming through the list though, so I pulled in. Of course I was almost half a block away from where you pay. I said the station was huge.

So I’m walking across this open space and I see a very creepy looking guy. He’s standing far enough away from the repair bays that the employees can’t see him. He’s scruffy. He’s not quite scowling but he’s definitely not feeling jolly. He’s wearing a heavy coat in 80 degree heat. And he’s staring at me.

That’s not paranoia. He wanted me to know. He leaned forward and rotated his head when I walked by. Besides, when I was your age I got stared at a lot. I know what it looks like. This wasn’t a hubba hubba hey baby kind of stare. I don’t know what kind of stare it was. I wasn’t feeling particularly analytic at the time.

Anyhow I paid my money and got stared at (full head rotation) on the walk back to the car. He stared while I pumped the gas. He stared while I put the thingie away and closed up the cap.

I had overpaid by $1.15.

What price comfort? What price security? I had change coming to me. Yes it was $1.15, but it was only $1.15. In effect, I could pay that amount not to walk in front of the creepy guy again. Conversely, I could move my car closer to the cashier, but that would be silly.

In the end, I walked back for it. But, next to the cash register, they had these little bottles of liquid breath mints that I love. They cost $1. So I handed back the dollar I had just gotten and took one.

Most of us go through life without quantifying our value systems. We know we want to be comfortable. We want to be safe. Most of us just want to be left alone most of the time. But how much do we want these things? It’s usually a mystery.

Me, I know. I have proof that my personal comfort is worth exactly fifteen cents and a breath mint.