I know this sounds like I have some kind of panic attack disorder but it's not like that at all. I'm a very rational person and not usually one to give in to thoughts like this.
Can you feel bad karma coming?-- Omens Everywhere
God love George Lucas. Where would we be without him? Certainly we had the idea of intuition long before Luke and Leia graced the Cineplex, but Lucas repackaged the concept -- along with a million and two other ideas from mythic traditions -- and left us all parroting lines like, "I have a bad feeling about this." So yes, there's probably a good reason why you feel a disturbance in the Force these days. Don't let your fears rule your life, or turn you into some hyper-paranoid shut-in afraid of your own shadow. But chances are there's something bigger than yourself going on in your world. Listen to your feelings.
Dear Karma Cleanser:
My friend Beatrice handed out gift certificates to everyone on her Christmas list. She gave one to another friend that we have in common, Mandy. I guess that Mandy didn't realize that I also received a present from Beatrice this year, because she then turned around and gave the gift certificate to me.
I'm not really pissed off or anything, because the gift certificate is for a store that I really like. But I do think that it's bad manners for Mandy to do this to me at the same time.
I would never tell her I felt this way, but I think that she will get some bad karma by just thoughtlessly recycling Beatrice's gift like that.
Do you agree? -- Cash Only, Please
Sigh. It happens about this time every year. The Karma Cleanser's inbox gets at least a couple of questions on one of the most pressing moral questions of the 21st century: to re-gift or not to re-gift. Two years ago we offered this insight: "Re-gifting is a holiday tradition almost as old as eggnog, and one that can be just as intoxicating." We stand by that statement. Re-gifting doesn't hurt, so long as it's handled properly. In other words, don't fault Mandy for giving you cash at a store she probably knows you like. Or, as our friend Staci says, don't look a gift certificate in the mouth.
Been bad? karma@creativeloafing.com.
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