 Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash “Are these your items?” the grocery store clerk asked after she scanned them and began placing them into a bag.
“Yes.” “Why didn’t you use the divider bar?” I’d left several feet between my items and the woman’s items in front of me. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why the clerk didn’t make the connection that they were my items. Honestly, I nearly asked her if the customer is still always right. But I bit my tongue. She pulled my four items out of the bags that apparently belonged to the woman in front of me, making sure to slam them on the conveyor belt to make her point that I’d made a mistake. Then she rescanned them. We completed the transaction without saying anything else to each other. In hindsight, I should have apologized. I can only imagine what she’s been through during COVID-19. Long lines and angry customers come to mind. I think we’re all a little on edge. Nothing is the same. Our routines have been obliterated. We’re learning new technology. The companies we work for are short-staffed, at best, and at worst, we've lost our jobs. Many of us either know someone with COVID-19 or we know someone who knows someone who has it. And officials continue to tell us a second wave may be coming, which adds even more stress. In many ways, we're all living on the edge. As if on cue, a friend sent me a text today, inviting me to a mental health break get-together in his driveway this evening. With all of that said, we owe it to each other to be understanding and patient. We're human, and we'll make human mistakes, but when it comes down to it, all we can control is ourselves. I have a friend who often quotes his life group leader who says, "Let grace be your default setting." That's great advice for all of us. Comments are closed.
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