When going through your everyday life\u2014getting dressed, drinking coffee, shopping for groceries, going to work, or to a play date with your kids\u2014you never know what or who you will encounter. Maybe it\u2019s an old friend or colleague, or maybe a new friend, a kind stranger on an elevator, or an angry clerk? We want to live our lives in such a way that people can see our heart, and know we care about them. Yet, at times our own anger and frustration show. I\u2019m embarrassed to admit I\u2019ve been blunt, thoughtless and (unfortunately) rude when stressed. I know. Hard to believe, right? LOL. But shamefully true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When under stress we are all prone to have a personality change. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Snicker\u2019s candy bar commercial reminds us we aren\u2019t ourselves when we are hungry. The same is true when we are stressed. That\u2019s why it\u2019s always important to try to see life from the perspective of others, to understand why they react as they do. I\u2019ve a story to share that took me by surprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Standing in the checkout line at my local grocery, I watched the clerk, a woman with a scowl on her face, mumble under her breath as she threw groceries across the barcode reader and sent them slamming into each other at the other end. Wow! Talk about angry. <\/em>I looked for another line to move to, but the other lines were longer. And I\u2019d already waited so long in this line. I could at least see the checker now. I rolled my eyes at the older woman in line ahead of me. She smirked in agreement. This was not the way to treat customers, but we were stuck. After paying for his groceries, the customer at the register shook his head, grabbed the grocery bag from the sacker, and stormed out the door without a word. Next in line, the gray-haired woman in front of me snarled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope you don\u2019t throw my groceries around and break my eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The checker stared at her then gently took the eggs in an exaggerated effort and rolled the carton in a paper bag, which she then placed into a plastic bag. She left the register and walked the eggs to the woman\u2019s waiting basket. \u201cHappy?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silently, the customer adjusted the purse on her shoulder and huffed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The clerk proceeded to toss every other item vehemently across the barcode reader and down the conveyor. Wide-eyed, the woman paid for her groceries and complained to the sacker that she didn\u2019t know if she\u2019d be back with such rude staff. The boy scrunched his face and shrugged his shoulders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNeed me to take these to your car?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The gray-haired woman grabbed the wrapped eggs out of the basket. “Yes,\u201d she said, heading for the door and leaving the young man to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gulped. My turn.<\/em> As I approached the clerk, she held one hand to her head and stared at the register. Without looking at me, she began to process my order in the same haphazard manner as the two people before me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you not like\nyour job?\u201d I finally asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, I do,\u201d\nshe snapped back, tossing another can of corn across the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen you must be having a really bad day today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The checker watched the can of corn roll away from her and collide with a jar of pickles. We both held our breath. Whew, it didn’t break.<\/em> She looked back at me. Tears filled her eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am having a bad day,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n She sniffed and\nstopped slamming my groceries across the reader. I expected an exaggerated, \u201cHappy?\u201d\nlike she\u2019d given the lady with the eggs, but she never said anything. Tears\nbegan to stream down her face as she worked, and I had to ask if she were ok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She stopped checking and glanced behind me. The other customers had opted for another line. She gave a sad smile and sighed. \u201cI\u2019m the one who should say I\u2019m sorry. It\u2019s just that I have already worked my shift without a break and the manager just told me I have to stay another two hours. My grandfather died last week, and my mom has cancer and is in the hospital, and now I have to find someone to watch my eight-year-old after school.\u201d She wiped her face and glanced around to see if anyone was looking. \u201cI can\u2019t afford to lose my job,\u201d she said and continued to scan the rest of my groceries at a civil pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As no one stood\nin line behind me, I leaned across the counter, took the Closed<\/em> sign off the side of her register and placed it on the\nconveyor belt behind me. The clerk again surveyed the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou won\u2019t be\nable to keep your job if you keep upsetting customers. Besides, you need a\nbreak. Ring me up and go call your family and friends and find a sitter for the\nnext two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I paid for my\ngroceries, then she called the floor supervisor and requested a break. While\nshe made phone calls in a booth at the deli, I picked up a sandwich and chips,\nwhich I left at her table. I was rewarded with a smile that lit up her face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you.\u201d She\nstood and hugged me. \u201cMy neighbor is going to let Tiffany come over for a few\nhours until I can a get home. I\u2019m better now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m glad. I\u2019ll\nbe praying for you and your mom,\u201d I said reaching for my grocery basket. \u201cI hope\nyour next few hours are better than the last.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n That scenario taught me a lesson\nin judging. When someone is angry, there is a reason. Maybe all they need is a\nkind word, like a sweet candy, to calm them down. Proverbs 15:1 says: \u201cA soft answer\nturns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.\u201d Have you ever encountered\nan angry clerk? Or a puffed-up bus driver? How did you handle it? Have you\nwitnessed how someone else handled the situation? We\u2019d love to hear your story.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember wherever you are in life,\nyou are always at the right place when you visit my website and read my blog.\nCome on back and share a slice of life with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be sure to subscribe to my email and I\u2019ll send you a notice when the next blog is posted. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When going through your everyday life\u2014getting dressed, drinking coffee, shopping for groceries, going to work, or to a play date with your kids\u2014you never know what or who you will encounter. Maybe it\u2019s an old friend or colleague, or maybe a new friend, a kind stranger on an elevator, or an angry clerk? We want […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[43],"yoast_head":"\n