What goes around comes around

There's more than one way to say it. It might be for every action there is a reaction or it might be viewed as cause and effect. If referring to Newton's third law you would say for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. However, if referring to human relationships and dealings the action and reaction would more likely relate to the Law of Karma – or possibly the Golden Rule.

Even though one interpretation of the law relates to science and the other refers to morality and/or human interaction they are constants in our world. The proof that these laws exist shows up every day in everything we do – or don't do.

I experienced the latter recently. I had been neglecting stretching exercises for shoulder problems over Christmas and I paid the price...a painful shoulder. As soon as I started doing the exercises again the pain began to subside.

The first Law of Karma, or Great Law, is “As you sow, so shall you reap.”

This is also known as the law of Cause and Effect. It is easy to check this law out. Simply greet the next person you see with a big smile and a positive greeting.

Chances are pretty good you will get a smile in return. What we put out is what will come back to us.

This means that if we put out negativity that will also be what we reap.

Sometime between Dec. 26 and 27 someone  broke into the L.A. Animal Shelter and helped themselves to cash and gift cards that had been donated to the shelter over the holidays.

To take what doesn't belong to you is definitely a negative, but to take funds that were meant to care for God's creatures is the lowest form of negative.

Personally, I would not want to be in that person's shoes. I expect there are at least a few animal lovers among the RCMP, and they will zero in on the perpetrator. On the positive side, there have been a number of individuals and companies who have stepped up with donations to replace the funds that were lost.

There are occasions when a person immediately reaps what they sow. A number of years ago I was vacationing in Montreal with my eldest daughter and young son. We were touring around the man-made island where the Olympics had been held.

I realized that the French speaking people appreciated any attempt to speak the language and I worked hard to do just that. With my limited knowledge of the language my sentences tended to be one, two, or three words in length.

We moved along, taking in the sights. My son – who was about eight at the time – said, “Mom, I feel sick.” I looked for the nearest men's or ladies room but saw nothing. I panicked...and tried to think of the proper way to ask for that service as I saw a man appoaching.

Apparently I didn't ask correctly and the fellow sneered, then said “No capisce...” his way of thumbing his nose at my imperfect attempt of French.

My son then lost it...with some of it landing on the fellow's shoes. I felt bad for my little guy, but also felt there was some justice in the world. Maybe my reaction displayed a bit of negativity, but what the heck!

On the positive side, I know a couple of individuals who helped with the recent community Christmas dinner. They loved seeing how much the guests enjoyed themselves and were pleased that the staff at police headquarters, the fire department, and other services were able to enjoy the meal delivered to them. A little over 200 meals were served.

If you think about it, all of life is about action and reaction or cause and effect. When you put one foot in front of the other there is an effect - walking. When you smile you brighten someone's day and the return smile brightens your day. Everything we do has an impact. Whether that impact is positive or negative is up to us. It is a matter of choice.

Shirley Hallee’s column appears weekly in the Amherst News.