Soooo...it has been a few days since you have seen my smiling face. Here I am! Sometimes life just seems to go by so fast. This week has been interesting for me. I keep finding myself in places where I am being tested. I do not always pass the test. Here is one example.
Boy and I went to WalMart, and we found a car leaving. I parked the truck near it, put on my blinker, and waited while the car pulled out. I put the truck in reverse and proceeded to back into the parking spot. Someone came driving down the aisle from the other direction, zipped right in behind me, and "stole" my parking spot. What?! It could not have been better choreographed if it was in a comedy movie.
Then I opened my window and waited for the mystery person to get out of their vehicle. Hmm...were they going to get out? What was I going to say, anyway? Who knows. After a short wait, I left to go find another parking spot. After I drove away, I saw (in the mirror) the man get out of his vehicle. Was he waiting for me to leave, or was he just really slow? Who knows? I found a spot, parked the truck, got Boy out of his seat, and we went inside. As we walked, I thought to myself that if I saw that man (and I hoped that I did), then I would tell him that that was not a very nice thing that he did.
Boy and I got a shopping cart, and we went inside, and the man was right there! It was like he was being handed to me. I justified myself confronting him by thinking to myself that I was not going to be nasty; I was just going to point out that we he did was not a very nice thing. However, when the opportunity arose, I decided that it would really not accomplish anything except to maybe make what I now saw was an old man at the pharmacy feel bad or even confused. Boy and I continued walking right past the man, and I said nothing.
That was a good decision, right? I think that I passed that test!
Well....
I was still a little bit annoyed. A few minutes later, I happened to be turning the shopping cart down an aisle that someone else wanted to go down, and apparently it was important that they be in front of me and not behind me. Maybe it was an emergency. Perhaps something in that housewares department was going to attempt to commit suicide and jump from the shelf, so those people had to get there to position a shopping cart to save that mystery item from certain death.
I happened to be on the telephone with Richard, and I said something that I do not even remember about not being able to find what I needed, which was something to clean brass drawer pulls. A WalMart employee, who was helping the need-to-be-in-front-of-me-culprit, finished with them and asked me if he could help me find anything. "I doubt it," was my snippy retort.
Whoa! What did he do to deserve that?
I carted Boy off in a huff while still not being able to find what I wanted. As I was walking up and down the aisles of housewares, I felt bad. There was no reason for me to take my frustrations out on that WalMart employee. Then I started thinking about how one negative experience can throw off someone's day. After all, I was in a great mood and having a good day until the parking lot bandit robbed me of my parking spot. What if I inadvertently broke down that WalMart worker's happy mood?
My guess is that I failed that test.
Boy and I went to WalMart, and we found a car leaving. I parked the truck near it, put on my blinker, and waited while the car pulled out. I put the truck in reverse and proceeded to back into the parking spot. Someone came driving down the aisle from the other direction, zipped right in behind me, and "stole" my parking spot. What?! It could not have been better choreographed if it was in a comedy movie.
Then I opened my window and waited for the mystery person to get out of their vehicle. Hmm...were they going to get out? What was I going to say, anyway? Who knows. After a short wait, I left to go find another parking spot. After I drove away, I saw (in the mirror) the man get out of his vehicle. Was he waiting for me to leave, or was he just really slow? Who knows? I found a spot, parked the truck, got Boy out of his seat, and we went inside. As we walked, I thought to myself that if I saw that man (and I hoped that I did), then I would tell him that that was not a very nice thing that he did.
Boy and I got a shopping cart, and we went inside, and the man was right there! It was like he was being handed to me. I justified myself confronting him by thinking to myself that I was not going to be nasty; I was just going to point out that we he did was not a very nice thing. However, when the opportunity arose, I decided that it would really not accomplish anything except to maybe make what I now saw was an old man at the pharmacy feel bad or even confused. Boy and I continued walking right past the man, and I said nothing.
That was a good decision, right? I think that I passed that test!
Well....
I was still a little bit annoyed. A few minutes later, I happened to be turning the shopping cart down an aisle that someone else wanted to go down, and apparently it was important that they be in front of me and not behind me. Maybe it was an emergency. Perhaps something in that housewares department was going to attempt to commit suicide and jump from the shelf, so those people had to get there to position a shopping cart to save that mystery item from certain death.
I happened to be on the telephone with Richard, and I said something that I do not even remember about not being able to find what I needed, which was something to clean brass drawer pulls. A WalMart employee, who was helping the need-to-be-in-front-of-me-culprit, finished with them and asked me if he could help me find anything. "I doubt it," was my snippy retort.
Whoa! What did he do to deserve that?
I carted Boy off in a huff while still not being able to find what I wanted. As I was walking up and down the aisles of housewares, I felt bad. There was no reason for me to take my frustrations out on that WalMart employee. Then I started thinking about how one negative experience can throw off someone's day. After all, I was in a great mood and having a good day until the parking lot bandit robbed me of my parking spot. What if I inadvertently broke down that WalMart worker's happy mood?
My guess is that I failed that test.
While boy and I were walking around, I looked for the WalMart worker. I even walked back and scanned the aisles of the housewares department (even though we had since moved on to the chemicals department on the other side of the store). I wanted to apologize to him, but I did not see him.
What is my point to this whole thing? It is nothing revolutionary, but sometimes we need to be reminded. We includes me.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. -Matthew 7:12
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. -Galatians 5:22-23
We need to think before we act. We need to be in control of ourselves. We need to be responsible for being the kind of people that have a positive effect on others. We need to treat others as well as we would want them to treat us.
We have a pillow that says, "My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." Dogs see us as loving and good people, and they show us love and adoration daily. Can we not treat one another as our dogs do?
What is my point to this whole thing? It is nothing revolutionary, but sometimes we need to be reminded. We includes me.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. -Matthew 7:12
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. -Galatians 5:22-23
We need to think before we act. We need to be in control of ourselves. We need to be responsible for being the kind of people that have a positive effect on others. We need to treat others as well as we would want them to treat us.
We have a pillow that says, "My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." Dogs see us as loving and good people, and they show us love and adoration daily. Can we not treat one another as our dogs do?
Dm, So you had a bad moment. It happens! I'm pretty sure that the Walmart clerk is used to comments like you made. After all, it WAS Walmart!! LOL! But seriously, you are not perfect (gasp!!) none of us are!! Next time you are in Walmart, if you want to make up for your little "faux pas" . . . just try to be extra nice and and I think things will even out in the long run.
ReplyDeleteYou know, the fact that you felt the need to apologize was your reminder and that is a great thing. We all Fall at times, and feel dissapointed in ourselves. I know I do and then wish I could change what happened because that is truly not what my heart and soul are made of. I think the guilt is a step in the process of wanting to become a better person.
ReplyDeleteBut as they say "To Err is Human, To Forgive Devine"
DM, we all fall sometimes! However, we need to learn from our errs! I think you did and were sincerely sorry for your actions. That's good, GF! What better teacher than experience! But God helps us see our mistakes and helps us to realize what we did and how we can improve ourselves from all the experiences we have...good and bad!
ReplyDeleteYou're such a sweet girl! I'm so glad we are friends...of the hat!
Love ya'!
Freida