The receipt was $123.19 too much. There was a long line in back of me so the cashier with a wicked bad cold said Customer Service would help me with the refund.
I pushed my cart to Customer Service. The woman behind the counter didn’t look at me as I explained what had happened. Instead she emptied all my cloth bags and began returning every item through her register.
I said, “No. Please, wait. Let me explain again. I want everything in the bags but there were two overcharges totalling $123.19 that I would like credited to my card.”
She continued not looking at me as she returned the items. I felt my body get hot. My breath was short and I could tell my mind was churning up something to say that I would later regret and have to make amends for.
It was then I remembered I had a choice on how to respond. So I paused right there at Customer Service. I closed my eyes taking ten deep inhales and exhales. With each breath I could feel my body relax as my mind began to settle. I was down-regulating.
When I opened my eyes the woman was looking at me with a tiny smile. We saw each other.
I said, “Could we begin again? I think we could have more fun doing this.” And so we began again.
Moral of the Story: To gift ourselves with pausing helps us move through the world with more ease and less suffering.
Ann-Marie's Blog 
It took being conscious and aware of what was happening for you and how you could choose how to react or respond. Taking that time to pause and think is a powerful message for all.
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