My buttons were pushed, I admit it and I’m not proud of it. I’m getting better, though, because I’m able to acknowledge it less than 24 hours after it happened.
But when it happened, I wasn’t happy.
I went to a local restaurant in my city, a restaurant that I frequent.
They were hosting a fundraiser in which a portion of everyone’s check was being donated to help a local family that had a serious medical need.
I went out to lend my support.
The place was packed. Good news for the fundraiser, bad news for me. Shortly after I got my drink and ordered my food, I decided that I would take it to go.
I went up to the bar to let the owner/manager know.
I said, “__________do you know if they put that food order in? If not cancel it. If so, I’ll take it to go.”
And that’s when he copped the attitude! He told me in no uncertain terms he was going as fast as he could. That he put the order in as soon as I had given it to him. That he was doing his best. He was clearly frustrated and seemed to think that I was pushing him to hurry my order along.
He came over and set the check down rather forcefully in front of me. I looked at him, and that’s when something snapped inside of me.
I left the restaurant vowing to never come back. Who did I make that vow to? Just about everyone who would listen to me via text or in person for the rest of the evening!
Thankfully, I stopped myself short from taking the case to social media!
I’m supposed to know better. I understand psychology, grief, and human behavior. I know what makes people tick and what ticks them off. I speak and write about motivation and emotional intelligence. I’m a Pastor. And yet still, it happened.
Why did this bother me so badly in the first place? I don’t know. Maybe there is something from my past, some psychological hiccup that causes my buttons to be pushed in situations like this one.
But I woke up this morning with a different perspective, a gentle reminder of sorts.
A truth that I forgot last night.
“Everyone has a story.”
Perhaps he had financial pressures. Maybe he was busier than normal and that caused undue stress. Or maybe something happened with one of his kids.
The possibilities are endless. What I do know is that when I began to realize there might be more to his story, my agitation immediately softened.
I guess we all have those moments, moments when we get irritated over something insignificant. But somehow, it pushes our buttons and we instantly become angry, intolerant and impatient.
The challenge? To recognize when those buttons are being pushed as soon as it happens. And when it does, stop, take a deep breath and remember, “everyone has a story.” There’s more to what’s happening at that moment than what we see.
It might just soften us right away and prevent the additional whirlwind from occurring.
For me, it’s worth a try.
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