Good Karma

A Nice Payback

My local saddle shop, Rick's, holds an annual tent sale. There are all kinds of bargains for sale and one of the highlights is a drawing for some kind of big prize.

In the past, it has been a $1000 shopping spree. When you enter the store, you receive one ticket for the drawing. Then, for every $50 you spend, you earn another ticket for the drawing. You must be there for the drawing to win.  I have been going to these events every year since Rick started them and it's more than twenty years.

This year, the rules are a little different. There were three drawings. The first was for a complete show outfit:  Charles Owen helmet, Tredstep boots, Ariat breeches, an Essex shirt, gloves, and a show coat. That drawing was at noon today. A young girl won the prize--perfect.

I went to the store for the later, 3PM drawing for one of the two $500 Wintec/Weatherbeeta drawings.

I did my shopping, found some neat stuff for Christmas presents, fly spray on sale, and a pair of Ariat winter paddock boots at a substantial discount. Paid for my stuff, and started out to put in in the truck, when I suddenly realized the amount I had been charged and what I had estimated I was going to pay disagreed by quite a bit of money. I looked at my receipt and saw that the cashier had failed to ring up my boots. $90 was a lot of money. So, I went back to the register to let them know about the error.

Well, they were really surprised. "I guess you are one of the honest people we keep hearing about,' They said. I told them I certainly didn't think it was right not to fix the mistake, and then I joked that maybe I should get a few extra tickets for the drawing. The store manager told them to give me a bunch of tickets.

So, I got maybe ten extra tickets. "Karma," the manager said. "You know you are going to win the drawing because of what you did." I just laughed. I'd been trying to win for twenty years and certainly didn't expect anything today.

Well the 3 PM drawing started. They pulled one number and the person who had the ticket was not there. So they pulled a second number and the person was not there. Then they pulled a third number.

In the string of ten tickets I'd "earned" for paying for my paddock boots was the winning number!

I could hardly believe it.

I had my picture taken with the Weatherbeeta representative and one of those huge checks.

Now I have $500 dollars to spend on Weatherbeeta or Wintec prodects one a one day shopping spree at the store before July 20.  Turns out I can order stuff that may not be in stock.

I'm a bit torn about what to get. Obviously, my Boys, Tucker in particular, have really bad track records with sheets and blankets, so I'm pretty sure that's where the money will go. Can't quite decide on whether some nice turnout sheets would be good, or a winter blanket--maybe two--or another flysheet.

My good friend Stacie was there and had her eye on a fly sheet for her mare and I would be quite pleased to get it for her. I just ordered two fly sheets off the Internet, so my Boys may be good to go for the season. Still, it's always handy around here to have a surplus.  There is also a nice 1200D waterproof turnout sheet and durable winter blankets aren't a bad idea. Fly masks? Saddle pad?

It's kind of strange to have all this money to spend and no idea what to spend it  on.

Karma. Honesty is the best policy, and this time, I was rewarded.