(no subject)
Friday morning, last
I pulled up to get my daily fix at Starbucks.
Grumpy, grouchy, miserable little thing, I was.
Not sure why, precisely, so I'll blame it on my mid-life hormones. They rear their angry little heads at the strangest times.
This Starbucks is not designed well. There is a drive-thru but two ways to get into the drive-through. Two. This creates all sorts of unpleasant conflict. All the cool regulars (me) get into one lane. The douchie cutters get into the other lane (not me). So let's just call my lane The REGULARS Lane and the other, The Douche Lane.
As I sat there in my (very) non-douchey lane, I noticed sudden movement off to my left.
A homeless man was walking, cautiously, towards my car.
Two, simultaneous,
One - Goodness, that poor man...He looks hungry. I'm giving him a dollar.
Two - Leave me the fuck alone!! (see angry hormones above).
I was very sybil. Before my two sides could properly duke it out, a truck intervened, pulling up to the homeless man so quickly, that I was momentarily frightened for him.
The driver handed the homeless man a hot coffee, a muffin and sped off just as quickly. I'm not even sure if they exchanged any words.
The man sat down, slowly, on the curb and started eating it.
The scenario melted my heart. And humbled me. Here was Humanity 101 unfolding right before my eyes, like a movie.
I sat in my car, smiling, feeling nothing but good, happy things.
Until I saw it. Now on the other side of my car, in The Douche Lane, a douche had drove up. And was going to cut me off. I had been in line for five minutes. Maybe even six! And here she was going to drive up and be in and out of there in less than one minute.
I went gentle to mental in sixty seconds.
Good, happy thoughts, gone! Now I was Xena, the Warrior Princess. Forget the kindness I had witnessed. Now I pretty much wanted to kill everyone. Or at least this driver.
Before she could inch any further towards the lane, MY LANE, I drove my car in front of hers. A-HA!!!!! I'm next, aren't I!?!? Mememememememe!!!!! Not you, ME! I showed her. You know, just get in line, like all the civilized people do and wait your turn, you douchebag, unclean, rude, little monkey.
I felt justified, smug and really, really right.
God was on my side.
That lasted maybe 10 seconds. Just long enough for me to take a look in my rear-view mirror.
I'm not exaggerating when I describe The Douche.
Little old lady.
With a little cute dog sitting next to her in the passenger seat. Wagging its tail.
Both were smiling.
They couldn't possibly have looked less douche-y.
Salt in the wounds - the car behind me waved her in behind me.
Right, got it. So who's the real douche.
I felt myself sink low in my seat.
My mind started playing out scenario's. Maybe this is her first time to this Starbucks. Maybe she doesn't know about the CORRECT lane to get into. (In my defense, every day someone, usually in a hummer, gets in the D-lane and pushes his way in front of the others. Usually there is a chorus of angry horns and an occasional bird. So the memory of THAT GUY is fresh on my mind.)
Even still, in reality, maybe there really isn't a CORRECT lane. Maybe that's my own silly little rigid thinking and maybe I should just lighten up a wee little bit.
Like the person behind me did. Apparently it wasn't that big of a deal to him to show a little patience and kindness to someone else.
And the man in the truck who gave away a coffee to a stranger. Had I not learned anything from that incident that happened only moments ago???
I inched my car forward, very slowly, chastised. Embarrassed.
Thankfully, I found redemption. I paid for her drink. The barista warned me that she had bought two drinks, not just one. Was I sure I wanted to pay for both?
Yup, I'm sure.
As I drove off, I tried to imagine her and her tail-wagging puppy sipping their free latte's on this Friday morning.
It made me smile.
A smile I needed.
$7.45 well spent.
I pulled up to get my daily fix at Starbucks.
Grumpy, grouchy, miserable little thing, I was.
Not sure why, precisely, so I'll blame it on my mid-life hormones. They rear their angry little heads at the strangest times.
This Starbucks is not designed well. There is a drive-thru but two ways to get into the drive-through. Two. This creates all sorts of unpleasant conflict. All the cool regulars (me) get into one lane. The douchie cutters get into the other lane (not me). So let's just call my lane The REGULARS Lane and the other, The Douche Lane.
As I sat there in my (very) non-douchey lane, I noticed sudden movement off to my left.
A homeless man was walking, cautiously, towards my car.
Two, simultaneous,
One - Goodness, that poor man...He looks hungry. I'm giving him a dollar.
Two - Leave me the fuck alone!! (see angry hormones above).
I was very sybil. Before my two sides could properly duke it out, a truck intervened, pulling up to the homeless man so quickly, that I was momentarily frightened for him.
The driver handed the homeless man a hot coffee, a muffin and sped off just as quickly. I'm not even sure if they exchanged any words.
The man sat down, slowly, on the curb and started eating it.
The scenario melted my heart. And humbled me. Here was Humanity 101 unfolding right before my eyes, like a movie.
I sat in my car, smiling, feeling nothing but good, happy things.
Until I saw it. Now on the other side of my car, in The Douche Lane, a douche had drove up. And was going to cut me off. I had been in line for five minutes. Maybe even six! And here she was going to drive up and be in and out of there in less than one minute.
I went gentle to mental in sixty seconds.
Good, happy thoughts, gone! Now I was Xena, the Warrior Princess. Forget the kindness I had witnessed. Now I pretty much wanted to kill everyone. Or at least this driver.
Before she could inch any further towards the lane, MY LANE, I drove my car in front of hers. A-HA!!!!! I'm next, aren't I!?!? Mememememememe!!!!! Not you, ME! I showed her. You know, just get in line, like all the civilized people do and wait your turn, you douchebag, unclean, rude, little monkey.
I felt justified, smug and really, really right.
God was on my side.
That lasted maybe 10 seconds. Just long enough for me to take a look in my rear-view mirror.
I'm not exaggerating when I describe The Douche.
Little old lady.
With a little cute dog sitting next to her in the passenger seat. Wagging its tail.
Both were smiling.
They couldn't possibly have looked less douche-y.
Salt in the wounds - the car behind me waved her in behind me.
Right, got it. So who's the real douche.
I felt myself sink low in my seat.
My mind started playing out scenario's. Maybe this is her first time to this Starbucks. Maybe she doesn't know about the CORRECT lane to get into. (In my defense, every day someone, usually in a hummer, gets in the D-lane and pushes his way in front of the others. Usually there is a chorus of angry horns and an occasional bird. So the memory of THAT GUY is fresh on my mind.)
Even still, in reality, maybe there really isn't a CORRECT lane. Maybe that's my own silly little rigid thinking and maybe I should just lighten up a wee little bit.
Like the person behind me did. Apparently it wasn't that big of a deal to him to show a little patience and kindness to someone else.
And the man in the truck who gave away a coffee to a stranger. Had I not learned anything from that incident that happened only moments ago???
I inched my car forward, very slowly, chastised. Embarrassed.
Thankfully, I found redemption. I paid for her drink. The barista warned me that she had bought two drinks, not just one. Was I sure I wanted to pay for both?
Yup, I'm sure.
As I drove off, I tried to imagine her and her tail-wagging puppy sipping their free latte's on this Friday morning.
It made me smile.
A smile I needed.
$7.45 well spent.