I sometimes think some people wake up in the morning and seriously say to themselves, "I think I'll be a douchebag today."
It's not that I've lost all hope for humanity. I've always believed in the overall goodness of people. The negative just seems to be grossly magnified lately. I feel like I see so many rude faces. I feel like I get really irritated really easily.
So I've started an experiment to combat my toxic mindset. Instead of seeing someone's face, I try to see their story.
It's very easy to take a person out of context. For example: I helped a customer a couple of Saturdays ago who was very rude. She misspoke her order, and when I tried to clarify, she snapped at me. It had been a long day, and I really wasn't in the mood for a verbal assault from this old lady. I quietly told her the total dollar amount, placed her order on the bar and prayed she would just leave quickly. Out of nowhere, she turns around and apologizes. "I'm sorry," she says, "We've had a really rough time, lately. My husband's not well."
I realized it wasn't about me; it was about her story. It was about what she had been through. I'll bet nine times out of ten the way a person acts is the result of something they've been through in the past.
So my personal challenge is to take human behavior in context. My challenge is to discover their stories. Hopefully it'll help me not take things so personally, and maybe have a very small impact on someone's life.
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
- Mother Theresa
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