The Yellow Shopping Cart

It was owned by a local grocery store. I tried putting it in the back of my Honda. It was so heavy and huge. It weighed more than anyone could have guessed. I tried many different ways to fit it into the rear of the car.

It was just too wide, too long, too tall.

After all my efforts and sweat and tears and total frustration, it finally squeezed in the car at an awkward angle and by pushing as hard as I could I moved it forward far enough to close the swinging rear door.

A police officer probably would have arrested me.

A clerk no doubt would have reported this abhorrent incident to his manager.

If you would have noticed me driving down the street with this yellow heavy duty behemoth in the back of my Honda, you also would have questions about the thief or wierd man taking inappropriate action.

No doubt some other drivers saw my car with this suspicious cargo. "Who is that thief?" "Why is that man transporting a shopping cart? It doesn't belong to him." "What right does he have, abusing someone elses property?" "Homeless people steal carts, but he is not homeless." "Something wierd is going on here."

Before knowing the truth it would be easy to decide, gossip, pass judgment, and write me off as another common thief.

Now the message is obvious.

Be careful about making statements or assuming answers without knowing the real facts.

I myself have been guilty of pronouncing totally wrong judgments on perfectly innocent people. Perhaps you would also own up to the same.

God reminds us "Judge not lest you also be judged." It is wrong and certainly not helpful to anyone. Many times good reputations get smeared by unthinking people.

So truth be known about the yellow cart. I was being a good Samaritan and returning a lost cart which I found on my Diablo Drive cul de sac.

It was an eyesore and I was tired of whining about it and wishing somebody else would take it back.

What did you think I was doing with the cart?