As we are dismissed from morning worship, Fr. Tim Taylor often exhorts us to carefully consider every person we meet throughout the day. He says that based upon our interaction, they will be “one step closer to God, or one step farther away.”
This past Friday, I went to morning worship as usual, but the rest of the day wasn’t a normal one. I had a physical scheduled at 1PM and was told no food or drink past 6AM. Everything seemed to go well with laboratory results due in 2-3 days.
But it was already 3:15PM as I headed back to my office and I hadn’t eaten since 6AM. I was feeling a little lightheaded and stopped in the nearest corporate building whose cafeteria is open until 3:30PM. I was hopeful to grab some ice cream to boost my glucose level until I could get back to my office for the lunch I had stowed.
I approached the cashier and asked if there was still ice cream to which she responded, “Yes,” but when I went to the machine, nothing came out. Just then another employee shouted at me from halfway across the cafeteria that they had shut the machine down for cleaning at 3PM. I responded “Okay” and started to walk away when she added, “We always clean it on Wednesdays and Fridays!”. By the tone, she sounded more interested in scolding me because I didn’t know the cleaning schedule then informing me of the lack of ice cream.
I said “okay” again, but added, “I’d asked the cashier and she said there was still ice cream.” I was appalled when she started yelling at the cashier that she should have known better. I hurried away and headed back to the next building to my office.
I did make it back without fainting and gobbled some lunch and a power bar. I felt much better after some food, but the encounter stuck with me. I didn’t mean to make a huge scene trying to get an ice cream sundae.
We outsource our cafeteria, so it isn’t any of our employees, but I remembered Fr. Tim’s words about how we interact with everyone we meet. I didn’t feel particularly close to God because of her harsh words, but it was an important lesson.
I never want to be the lady that yells at someone when they are just trying to get some ice cream after a visit to the doctor.
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha