I am angry about the sense of entitlement that so many people feel. No one seems to do things simply because they are moral but rather to get what they can. I can not count the number of times myself or my husband have walked back into a store to pay for something that was overlooked when we were rung up - things as little as $1 on up to things that were priced well over $100. And every time, our honesty has been greeted with incredulity or suspicion. We have found dogs and returned them home. One stayed with us for well over a week and we sought no reward, no compensation for the food and time invested. We turn in wallets, keys, & other items. We inform customer service when someone leaves their lights on in the parking lots. They are all little things that make life more pleasant and bearable. They are all things that I hope I can expect out of my fellow man.

A little background here: We are the minority in the neighborhood and many of the neighbors don’t even bother to nod Hi when we walk by. I’ve heard mention that we are “those crazy white folks”. People around here seem to think we have tons of money because we have been working so hard at fixing up this house. We don’t have tons of money, we lived her for over a year before we managed to pay to have the house stuccoed and WE painted it ourselves. We drained our savings to stucco the front and sides (the back is still block b/c we could not afford the extra $$ to have it done). Our front yard looks lush because my husband works for a company that deals in lawns - this should be quite obvious b/c the of the company vehicle that’s always here. Every other change we’ve made like screening in the carport have been minor and low cost. I don’t think many of the neighbors realize what a coat of paint and regular maintenance can accomplish….

Today Pickles ran off (yes again). That little dog is slicker than a greased pig. The people one street over found him and called. We notice the dog missing approximately 20 minutes before I found him at the neighbors. He could not have been missing of more than an hour because that is the time frame that my DH unlatched the gate. The folks who found him know us by face and when they saw me coming told me they had him. I thanked the boys and let them know that my little girls would be so happy to have their dog safely back home. I did not have any cash to offer them so I decided that I would bake some cookies this evening and return tomorrow after school let out. About 45 minutes after I returned home the phone rings:

“Did you lose a dog?”

“Yes, but I already came and got him”

(silence, shuffling, mumbling)

“Do you have any money?”

“Um, no I don’t have any money but we really appreciate you finding him”

“Can you bring us money tomorrow?”

“No, I really don’t have any money”

“oh (click)”

Kiss your fresh baked cookies goodbye boys. What is your take on this? My mind is a bite boggled…

Do you think they were encouraged to phone us and ask for money? Do you think it’s something they decided to do on their own? Do you think what they did was appropriate? Should I have agreed to bring them money after they so boldly called me? And do you think it’s wrong that I feel so offended that I now do not want to bring them the cookies I was originally going to make for them?