8/10/2009

I'm not Abraham Lincoln

No sir, do not confuse me with the 16th president of the United States, Mr. Abraham Lincoln. While we share some similarities with regards to disposition--melancholic--I don't think one should make the error of mistaking me for Lincoln. However, I did undergo a moral dilemma today, and in this time of uncertainty, was able to recall stories I heard about Honest Abe and his upstanding character. (To any ultra-conservatives out there, what Lincoln did with Joshua Speed in that room in Springfield is none of your business.)

What happened today was that I received change for a fifty when I'd actually handed the cashier a twenty. The restaurant where I was dining was crowded, and I definitely could have just slipped the extra cash into my wallet and walked out. But I imagined a crude, 1850s era color illustration of a gangly Lincoln wearing high water trousers with suspenders and a white cotton shirt walking down a dirt road to return a few cents to some old woman he'd overcharged. I thought of Lincoln on that road with his head full of ideas about goodness and honesty and his pocket full of change that wasn't rightfully his. As much as I could use some extra money, I gave the cash back to the cashier because I figure something good will come around t0 me because of it. Also, I think now people will be more inclined to confuse me with Lincoln.

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