Dwayne Johnson Went Back To The 7-Eleven He Stole From As A Teen And Made Amends
The Rock was finally able to "right this wrong.”
Most of us look back on our teen years and find some moment that makes us cringe. Whether trying to fit in with the “cool” kids or just trying to plain fit in, sometimes, as young adults, not-so-great decisions from our past leave us regretful. For Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his moment was shoplifting from a local store in the neighborhood where he grew up poor. However, when you have a heart of gold like Johnson, you make amends.
Johnson, 50, posted a video on Instagram showing a recent visit he took to a 7-Eleven convenience store in Hawaii. Turns out, it’s the same 7-Eleven that, according to The Rock, he used to shoplift from as a teen.
“We were evicted from Hawaii in ’87, and after all these years ― I finally got back home to right this wrong,” the actor said. “I finally exorcised this damn chocolate demon that’s been gnawing at me for decades.”
Johnson continued, saying he used to steal a king-size Snickers bar from the store every day when he was a kid. “The same clerk was there every day and always just turned her head and never busted me,” he wrote.
In the video, Johnson buys every Snickers bar in the shop and paid for the purchases customers inside the store as well.
The former WWF wrestler spent almost $300 and told the clerk at the front to give out Snickers to customers, “Thank you so much, I appreciate you. I’m going to leave these here. If somebody looks like they’re stealing a Snickers, give them one of these so they don’t steal!”
Though the video is light-hearted, Johnson notes in the caption on the video that while what he did as a teen was “dumb,” he used it as an opportunity to find grace and healing, as well as help others in the process.
He wrote, “We can’t change the past and some of the dumb stuff we may have done, but every once in a while we can add a little redeeming grace note to that situation — and maybe put a big smile on some stranger’s faces.”
This act of grace and kindness didn’t just come out of nowhere. The Black Adam star recalled during a 2017 Instagram post how if it had not been for the kindness of others, his family wouldn’t have been able to put food on the table.
He wrote, “My mom pointed out earlier in the day there was a time back in ‘87 when we couldn’t even afford Thanksgiving dinner and was praying someone would invite us over to their house to eat. We were in a tough spot back then, but we got through it.”
Here’s to The Rock, who never seems to stop learning, processing, healing — and trying to make things right.
