Temptation

written 3/4/06, but worth repeating this time of year.

So I’ve given up coffee for Lent. Black tea, too. My hot beverages for the next six weeks will consist of either Celestial Seasonings non-caffeinated teas or fat-free hot cocoa. It’s a spiritual exercise that I undertake every year- a small way to deny myself and focus on higher things...

Anyway, yesterday was brutally cold. Frigid temperatures and a punishing, biting, unrelenting wind. I had to make a quick trip into work even though it was my day off. Shortly after I started my car I realized that less than a quarter tank of gas remained. “Oh, man, of all the days to have to stand out in the cold and fill the tank,” I whined to myself.

I put it off until the trip home. I pulled into a filling station, the newest in town. The pump was one of the modern ones that accepts a credit or debit card, so I wouldn’t have to go inside to pay. Shivering, I got out my card and started the process.

As I stood there, willing the gas to flow in faster, faster, something caught my eye. There were words scrolling across the display screen that was attached to the pump. “COME INSIDE AND HAVE A HOT CUP OF COFFEE....COME INSIDE AND HAVE A HOT CUP OF COFFEE...” over and over again.

Talk about temptation. And no, I didn’t give in. (so where’s the ’smug’ emoticon?)
.