Twists of fate

Whether on the golf course or in life, our character is defined by how we act when things don’t go as expected. Anyone can stand tall, smile and keep going when life is working in their favor, but what about when things don’t work out how they are supposed to? How we act in those moments defines who we really are.

I’ve played golf long enough to have experienced all types of players/people. The gambit runs from those who you can’t tell what shot they just hit to people who throw clubs if the slightest thing goes awry. As it is on the course, so it is in life.

Today, my girlfriend’s business was burgled and they stole all of the money from one of the busiest weeks of the year. She owns a food cart in Portland, OR that specializes in pies, both sweet and savory. So, Thanksgiving is an oasis during the winter months which can be very slow due to rain. She has two children and the money that she earned (by herself through working long days all last week) was going to go to paying December rent and for Christmas presents for the kids. In a moment someone broke in and stole it all. Here is a letter she wrote about the incident:

“To whomever broke into my cart last night and stole all the money from my Thanksgiving pie sales, I hope you needed it more than I do. I hope you understand that you stole that money from a hard working single mother. This pie business is how I pay to feed, clothe, educate, and keep a roof over the heads of my two small children and myself.

I worked 27 hours in the two days leading up to Thanksgiving, and was at the cart selling pies until the late afternoon of Thanksgiving day. I gave my personal time to spend with friends and family, in order to bake and sell 77 pies. And then in a few short minutes you broke in and stole all the money.

October-March is a slow time for food carts. We make the majority of our sales in warmer and drier months. This November has seen record rains, and even slower sales than usual. Thanksgiving is my one natural opportunity during this slow time to increase my sales. Thanksgiving pie sales are what enables me to keep my business afloat at the latter end of the year.

So, whomever you are, I hope that you realize that you stole much more than my cash. You stole Christmas from my children. You stole our safe warm place to live. You stole the viability of my business. You stole my daughter’s preschool education. You stole my son’s winter boots and his lunch money. Again I say, hope that you needed the money more than we did.

And I hope the apple pie you stole was delicious.”

This isn’t one random thing that happened to her, but just another unfortunate event in a string of hard times over the past few months. I honestly feel like she is being tested for some reason. It’s gotten to the point where just when you think things couldn’t get worse something bad unexpectedly happens. And throughout it all she has stayed strong and stayed positive. That attitude and work ethic is what inspires me.

This is real, this is life. Things don’t work out how you want or expect them to all the time. We don’t live with million dollar contracts or private jets; we struggle at times to get by, but we don’t just get by, we enjoy the process; we thrive under pressure and we live not just for victory but to persevere and overcome our struggles. At some point in your life you are going to be tested. If you aren’t then perhaps there is more life you should be living. The majority of us are going to have to deal with struggles. Do not give up. Do not let anything get in your way.

What did Mary do today after filing a police report and fixing her broken-in door? She went right back to work. Why? Because there are no days off. She has two dependents and can’t sit around and sulk about hard luck. The only way to assure there will be a Christmas for the kids, and a house to live in, is to re-earn that money.

It is a horrible thing to have happened, but her reaction is so strong and inspiring.

Good things happen; bad things happen. It’s inevitable as that is life. Next time you are on the golf course, or doing anything, and something doesn’t go your way just remember that how you act at that moment is a large determining factor in who you are. I’ll pull from Mary’s example and pick myself up and keep on working.

If anyone is interested in helping her out, the cart is on 43rd and Belmont in the Good Food Here pod. The pie is delicious and I’m pretty sure she could use a couple extra sales this month.

Also, I put up a donations button on her website in case someone was able to give some extra money: http://thehoneypotbakery.com

******** addendum added Sunday at 6:30pm.*********

Wow.  What a great world we live in!  A day after Mary found out she was robbed of the money she worked so hard to earn for December’s rent and Christmas presents for Orion and Hazel almost all of it was donated to her from about 50 different people.  Half of these people were friends and family and half were perfect strangers.  Almost as quickly as it was stolen the community came together and replenished what was lost.  Thank you so much for reaching out.  Thank you.

We really live in a wonderful world.  The dishonest people are the exception and the fact that so many reached out from all over the globe to help Mary blows me away.

This means so much more than I can express.

Thank you for reaching out.  Thank you for the texts and emails and for stopping by her cart.  Thank you for supporting a friend/sister/daughter/stranger.  Thank you for grouping together and correcting a wrong.

Thank you.

To follow up further with the story, today it got picked up by ABC news and put on Yahoo!’s front page:  http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/oregon-community-serves-generosity-robbed-food-truck-owner-184719870–abc-news-topstories.html