Lesson in Tolerance

This evening Rob & I decided that we'd go for a walk as a family. While Rob walked around with the dogs, I'd take the kids into Keyfood for some stuff. Ya know the essentials..... 2 for 1 ice cream, double stuff oreos & stewed tomatoes. Yes.... that's what I bought. But seriously, how can you not buy 2 for 1 ice cream?

As I waited on line to pay for my essentials, I noticed that the cashier was very particular about making sure someone received the correct price on an item. People in front & behind me hemmed & hawed and got generally frustrated. You know the feeling when you just wanna go? When you just don't want to have to wait on line, you get antsy. The front of that line seems like an eternity away even if you're the next person on line.

Then he walked away. I'm assuming to speak with the manager. Anywho, the woman in front of me starting sighing & then said to me "I always get on the wrong line. Doesn't he see a long line? It's express & the other lines are going faster." Insert another sigh here. When he returned & finished with that customer, he decided it was a good time to clean up & get some fresh bags.

When he started to clean up, I started to get annoyed. Couldn't that wait? Couldn't the cleaning wait as well?  I mean come on. My ice cream was melting over here.

And then I remembered a blog entry I had read recently. You can read it here http://davehingsburger.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-happened-to-two.html I started to wonder if maybe he was new & trying to make sure he followed all of his training. I wondered whether or not he had a different intellectual ability than some of us average folks.

I thought about the girl on the elevator who couldn't understand that she was on the right floor and got anxious and I was instantly calmed. I started to think about Sean and how WHEN he starts working, he'll most likely do things a little slower than people would like, but so help the customer, client or patient (because yes my son may be a doctor some day) who hems & haws at my son.

When the woman sighed again in front of me and then started in with how the express line was taking so long, I kindly reminded her that when she's a little older & walking a little slower, she'll thank goodness for someone who doesn't rush her or knock her down while they're in a rush. She rolled her eyes at me & went to another line. Be gone with you.

Without that blog post, I would've commiserated with this woman that was in front of me. I'm happy that my eyes have been opened and my thinking has forever been changed.