A Lesson in Karma
Walking through the market, I had one of those moments where the world cracks open just a little bit wider. A woman, baby in arms, no older than a year approached me, pleading for food. Not money. Food.
As a rule, I never give money to beggars anywhere in the world. But food? Always. Water? Of course. If someone is hungry, I’ll always find a way to help.
So, we stepped into a small shop. She pointed at a box. Everything was in Hindi, and she gestured, “Baby. One month. Food.” I nodded and bought it for her.
Then another woman came. Same story. Baby in arms. Same urgency. I bought one for her too.
Then a third…
At this point, I should have sensed something was up, but I didn’t. Not yet.
It wasn’t until I walked back to my driver—who had been waiting and watching from across the street—that I noticed his expression. He shook his head.
“Don’t do that again,” he said.
I was confused “What do you mean? It was for their babies.”
He sighed like a man who had seen this too many times before. “No, Tracy. That’s a scam. That wasn’t baby food. It was ghee. You can’t even give ghee to a baby. They’ll go back to the shop, return it, and split the money with the shop owner.”
And just like that, I realized I had been completely hustled by all three of these women and the shop owner within the span of five minutes.
For a second, I was annoyed. Not at the money, but at the fact that I genuinely thought I was helping. No one likes getting played. But before I could let the frustration settle in- more at myself than anyone else- how could I be so naive, I know better, my driver looked at me and said something that instantly reframed the entire situation:
“Don’t be upset. You fulfilled your karma.”
He went on: “You gave from your heart. Your intention was pure. That is your karma. What they did? That’s their karma to carry.”
And in that moment, the whole experience shifted.
Because he was right.
We can’t control how others behave. We can’t dictate their integrity, their choices, or their reactions. But we can control how we show up, how we react. If we operate from truth, kindness, and pure intentions then that is ours to keep.
And the rest? Not our weight to carry.
Next time, I won’t fall for the same trick. Lesson learned. But the lesson isn’t just about this moment—it’s about every moment like this. Because life is full of these little tests, these quiet invitations to either get bitter or get wiser. The goal isn’t to dwell. It’s to see, to acknowledge, and to move forward— clearer and a lot less likely to end up in the same situation again.
A reminder that our job isn’t to control the outcome—it’s simply to show up with integrity. To act from truth. To give because we choose to give, not because we’re guaranteed a specific outcome. What happens after that? That’s for the universe, for karma, for whatever forces are at play to figure out.
With love,
Tracy✨