I Can Be An Idiot

The day started with me doing a really good thing. I was the “chauffer” for my teenage son and his two friends. We ended up at the movies, so “Mom” sat in the back to give them space. (Not really a sacrifice. I love going to the movies, especially alone…shhh, don’t tell my family!)

The movie started when an old guy with a walker arrived talking and wandering around. He ended up near me asking a nearby couple if there was a seat next to them. They got up and moved.

I’m thinking to myself, “Just because you are old does not give you a license to be rude.” Note to self: Don’t be rude as you age.

My mind wandered off to my seventy-something-age dad going through the Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru:

Dad: “I want a decaf coffee.”

Voice Box: “Sorry, sir we do not have decaf.” (It was before they had decaf.)

Dad: Agitated and speaking quite loud, “What do you mean you don’t have decaf?!! McDonald’s has decaf!!!”

Voice Box: “I’m sorry sir. I guess you could drive to McDonald’s.”

Dad: “Ok, just give me a coffee.” (Maybe Dad’s the reason they have decaf now.)

…

My mind wandered back to this older gentleman, how he had disturbed the quiet movie goers and then had two people move their seats. I might also add that I was much happier with the couple’s original seat, because now they were behind me and chewing loudly on who knows what. Ugh!

So rude! I focused back on the movie.

When the movie ended and I was leaving, I glanced over at the section the man with the walker had been seated. That’s when I saw it: There was a handicap sign.

I never cease to amaze myself on how I can misinterpret a situation. The loud candy/popcorn/corn nut “chompers” shouldn’t have been seated in the handicap section to begin with. There is a lesson for me around every corner.

What an idiot I can be! Sometimes we need to stop, assess the situation through a different lens and most importantly, do not pass judgment.

Does this ring true for anyone else out there? And Dad, thanks for decaf at Jack-in-the-Box!