True Story About Doing the Right Thing
Occasionally, we experience incidents in our lives that challenge us to choose the right path over the easy one. This is a story that I hope will inspire others, especially children, to do the right thing.
It was a sweltering summer day. The sun was shining brightly, and all I could think of was cooling down with a scoop or two of my favourite ice cream. I decided to make a quick trip to the newly opened ice cream parlour close by for a mid-day treat.
I ordered my ice cream in a fancy cone and asked the server to pack two tubs of chocolate ice cream for folks at home. Before I knew it, I was halfway through my icy treat and was enjoying the view of the colourfully lined ice cream flavours, sitting pretty one next to the other.
Now that my to-go order was ready, I headed to the payment counter to settle the bill. To my surprise, the cashier had forgotten to bill my ice cream, charging only for the fancy cone. The next few seconds passed as I debated between doing what was easy – clearing the bill and moving out- and doing what was right – pointing out the error.
CHOOSING TO DO THE RIGHT THING
I knew that if I didn’t bring the billing error to his attention, my ice cream would be charged to his salary. At that moment, my decision was made, and I went and pointed out what he had missed.
He looked at me with disbelief and thanked me profusely for bringing the oversight to his notice. The smile of relief on his face made me smile too. I came out of the ice cream parlour feeling good about myself. I knew that day how wonderful it feels to do what is right rather than what is easy.
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Doing the right thing isn’t difficult when you think about the repercussions of not doing the right thing. Not only can you sleep peacefully at night, but you can also pat yourself on the back for having the courage and good sense to choose right from wrong. I hope this story inspires others to stick to their principles and make this world a better place.
ALSO READ: The Man in the Queue, Real Life Kindness Story
First Published on Kindspring.org
Last Updated: 25th March, 2026
Photo by Hannah Morgan on Unsplash
