One day last week, I had to go to Publix after work (really had to~ I think there may have been one suspicious head of lettuce in the refrigerator). I’m not a big fan of grocery shopping after a day spent working but it is what it is. Poor planning.
Anyway, there wasn’t a line at the deli counter which was a MAJOR plus, so I rattled off what I needed to a completely unpleasant guy who seriously behaved like I just woke him up from a nap. I noticed I didn’t get that really great free slice of cheese they normally hand you, either, but whatever. So Mr. Crabby went about getting my order and finally, with a great deal of effort, grunted a “How are you today?” I have to tell you, I actually waited a second before responding because I wasn’t even sure I heard it correctly. Finally, I told him I was doing well, thanks for asking, and you?… normal banter. Mr. Crabby remarked that he had broken his tooth and it hurt to speak. Now here’s an awkward situation because I wanted to tell him how sorry I was to hear that but I was afraid it would pressure him into responding to me, thus causing him pain, so I just said, “Oh.” Wow ~ deeply sensitive of me. Needless to say, he probably thought I was Mrs. Jerk and and we ended our rapport for the day.
This Wednesday, I had to stop by Publix again and there he was, waiting to fill my order of sliced roast beef. Naturally, I was poised for another bout of awkward conversation but I was wrong. He asked if I had seen any good movies lately, which I had! We discussed the Oscars, the Grammy’s, Tarantino, and even the broken tooth. I am happy to report it was has been fixed and Mr. Crabby is pretty friendly; in fact, he’s really friendly.
Now I take great pride in being a good judge of character. Most of the time, I can spot a fake a mile away…but this time, I was wrong. He was just having a bad day ~ we’re all entitled to have a bad day. That got me to thinking how many people have the wrong impression of me? How many times has my introverted personality given someone the idea that I’m unfriendly or unapproachable? How many times have I spoken to someone and had my arms crossed and not really been engaged with them?
Shouldn’t we give somebody a break when their first impression is lackluster? Maybe they are shy, hurting, sleep deprived, stressed, or angry about something that happened last Tuesday. That “quick to judge” thing is a nemesis of mine ~ we battle it out constantly.
Today, when I start in on errands (which include going to Publix again, actually), I’m going to make it a point to be extra sensitive and extra nice to the next Mr. Crabby I see. More importantly, I’m going to say a quick, little prayer for them instead of just shaking my head as I walk away.
By Amy
Wife.Mom.Christian.Blogger.....and that's really just the beginning. :-)