November 26
When No One Could Know
A mistake works in our favor. We receive too much change, or an expense is reimbursed twice. It is a small amount, and correcting it will take longer than keeping it. For a moment we consider whether anyone is likely to notice. The question is familiar, even if the circumstances are less dramatic than they used to be.
An honest inventory brings our attention back to what we already know. We do not need to invent an audience or imagine a punishment to recognize the discrepancy. Perhaps an old habit of taking advantage has stirred. Perhaps we are simply tired and would rather avoid an inconvenient conversation. We can acknowledge either without making a grand judgment about our character. Returning what is not ours settles an actual matter. The value of the act does not depend on anyone discovering how easily we could have done otherwise.
What changes when being found out is no longer the question?
The amount is small; the choice is still mine.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Ten.