08/05/2021
Today I was at the post office and there was a customer in front of me who doesn’t seem to speak or understand English clearly. The worker repeatedly told him to sign here and print there on the machine. He just couldn’t get it right. I felt so bad and just kept thinking about how that worker was so mean. Like, why you have to be so mean. I can tell the worker was extremely frustrated not necessarily mean. Even though the customer didn’t show that he was angry, I knew he felt bad, upset and embarrassed. I really felt for him.
I immediately thought of my son, Noah and myself. I’m THAT worker. Noah’s the customer. How can I be so mean? Noah doesn’t speak clearly, can’t express what he wants to say a lot of the times and it’s super frustrating. Unlike the customer today, Noah does show frustration, sadness, anger and all the emotions. Although I’m frustrated that I don’t understand. He is also frustrated that he can’t get me to understand. None of this is new to me. I know patience is a virtue. I know it takes time and repetition. I know Noah needs more from me than just being angry. But it didn’t hit me in a different point of view until just now. He has improved so much.
This is a reminder to be kind. Be gentle. Show compassion. Care a bit more. Spend a bit more time. In the end, what do you accomplish? You’ll just ruin your day being frustrated. Find a way to make it a win-win!
