‘Don’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch.’
Yesterday’s Rx about Bill F. sure hit home with a lot of readers. Many expressed having known a few Bill F’s in their own lives and the difference this made. As I drove home from work last night, I was thinking that we all need to focus more on the Bill F’s of the world and I decided this topic was worthy of one more Rx. I had my subject, now I just needed a quote. Well, I was driving while all this was going on in my head, so I couldn’t do my usual online search for a starter quote. Being temporarily quoteless, I started combing my memory for phrases that might fit. The old adage ‘Don’t let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch‘ popped into my head and I smiled at how wise this familiar old saying was. Indeed, Bill F. had single-handedly transformed a whole bunch of apples with his sweet nature.
As I continued to think out loud I made a quick right hand turn into the grocery store that’s on my way home. I had one little ingredient to get, so in lieu of lugging my big purse into the store I snagged a $20 bill from my wallet and made a dash for the doors. I wasn’t two steps into the store when I saw something I wait all year for. There, lined up in perfect rows in a makeshift cardboard apple stand, were neat brown paper bags pre-filled with Honey Crisp apples. (If you have never had a Honey Crisp apple you are probably thinking I am on some apple company’s payroll… if you have had one, you are probably smiling and licking your lips right now.) Without any hesitation I grabbed the most abundant bag I could see, went and got what I came in for, and strode to the checkout counter. The clerk scanned my first item as I happily handed her my burgeoning bag of Honey Crisps. She placed them gingerly onto the scale. Weighing in at 4.26 pounds the objects of my affection took the balance owed to a cool $21.73. Dang it! I forgot that those little globes of deliciousness are also very pricey. I sheepishly waved my lone $20 bill at the cashier and she quickly took two apples out and re-weighed the bag. I took the change from my $18.75 purchase and was once again on my way.
In real-time, a few apples had to be removed from the bunch- cosmic humor at its best! I never get tired of these winks from up above. The universe is always, always conspiring to support the things we focus on. Always! (Just for fun, I am attaching a picture of the receipt that shows my two go-rounds with the apples … I really don’t make these things up…don’t have to actually ’cause if you speak to the universe, it will hit you back with one liners all day long, I promise.)
Now back to the Bill F’s of the world and our quote…. He is a reminder to each of us that we are powerful beings, and we should all strive to be the ‘Bill F’ in a situation whenever we can. What does that mean? It means be the one who resists the mediocre and steps up to a higher place.
It’s pretty easy to become jaded, to let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch … but it’s also pretty easy to step up and be the Bill F. that overshadows the bad apples, and makes someone else’s world feel sweet.
P.S. My daughter is feeling much better- the only long term effect to her bout of misery will be the one Bill F had 🙂