I was growing more perturbed with her *Edit*
(Edit at the bottom)
every time I saw her!
She’s frequently at the Starbucks I go to 3 – 4 times a week. She gets there about the same time I do, about 6:00 AM.
She’s an older woman, always clean but dressed in older clothes that are frequently too young, or too tight for her. She’s not homeless but kind of has the look like she may have been at one time.
If she gets there before I do, she takes my chair, the big plushy one, the one right in the corner where you can see everything going on. There’s another chair just like it right next to it, separated by a coffee table, but that one is less desirable because it’s not in the corner.
She never buys anything but instead, looks for discarded cups in the trash, rinses them out, then mixes up a concoction of (free) milk and sugar from the condiment counter and returns to the desirable chair … the one I want, and just sits there, sipping her free sugar/milk combination!
Sometimes, while waiting and sipping, she goes to the bathroom and stays in there for 20 – 30 minutes, intentionally leaving the door unlocked! I’ve seen people unknowingly walk in on her many times. It’s as though she finds it entertaining.
From the bathroom, she returns to my chair and waits for someone to discard a newspaper, moving quickly to pick it up.
Sometimes she just starts talking to me or someone else out of the blue, interrupting our quite reading of the paper with some nonsensical, or insignificant thing.
Well, I’d had it with the freeloading bitch this morning. I’d awakened a little earlier than usual and found myself thinking of her and rushing a bit to beat her to my chair.
God DAMN IT!
She was there … in my chair!
NOW I’m pissed. 5:45 in the Goddamn morning and she’s in my chair! FUCK!
“Let me get my coffee and then I’m going to say something to that milk stealing, sugar stealing, paper stealing, bathroom using, takes the best chair, freeloading bitch,” I thought.
I greeted the Starbucks clerk with a smile, “A large coffee please.” I waited as she poured it. She pushed it across the counter towards me as I handed her the money.
Then, I saw it …
She’d pushed the cup towards me, accidently (?) lined up so that I could read the side of it.
I took a sip and started reading as I waited for my change …
The Way I See It #114
(Link)
“I try to go through my days without
Judging. I can’t pretend to know
what is going on in anyone else’s
life but my own. I am
compassionate and meet people on
a human level. We all just crave to
be loved as who we are. Talk to the
next unfamiliar face you see or
brighten someone’s day with a
smile. Live with peace in your
heart and bright light in your soul.”
— LeAnn Rimes, Musician
God!
When will I learn?
How long will it take me?
<div style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt”>
All the reading, all the studying, all the aspirations to be a better man; to be kind and helpful, to not judge, to be compassionate … to see the world as Jesus did …
WHEN WILL I LOSE MY EGO?
God?
GOD?
GOD!
And on this day … of all days!
Anne Geddes
9365
Edit 5/19/2006 @ 07:33:07
Ha!
You guys crack me up!
“What did I do?”
“Introduce myself?”
“Brighten her day?”
Waddya, faahkin nuts? (Said in my best New York, Italian accent.)
I did her and myself a favor. I went over to the condiment table, stirred in a pack of Sweet-‘N-Low, put the lid back on and … walked out the door!
I was so shocked to read the message on my coffee cup in the state of mind I was in, as well as embarrassed by my attack thinking, that I went straight home to read my paper on my deck, by myself, where I couldn’t damage anyone with a hurtful comment, and ended up writing this entry.
After I debriefed with myself, I realized what was going on for me. I awakened early because I’ve been under some pressure recently, nothing bad, just business, and realized it was the fear of losing a client that was the real culprit.
One thing about the whole experience I am pleased with … I didn’t do damage. By that I mean, I didn’t say anything. I’m sure I must have transmitted my disapproval of her through my body language over the past weeks and months. Something I’m going to remedy.
With each experience like this, I learn. I am pleased the learning comes quickly! In this case, just seconds. Maybe one day, I won’t even have the thoughts, I won’t even experience the fear.
I hope.
“Fear,” an amazing wrecker of relationships.
"Your attitude, your actions, your comment – will it add to the sadness and hurt of someone and thereby, the world? Or, will it add to the love and kindness which might heal us and make us whole? It’s your choice."
(More Random Acts of Kindness.)
Best wishes and …
God bless,
Nunzio
PS: Oh, the comment, “And on this day, of all days,” … it was a day of reflection, a day of assessing my "progress." It was my birthday.
I found humor in this entry, if only because it sounds like something that would happen to me. *smirks* Or has happened to me. Either way, I think you should’ve camped out in the bathroom while drinking your coffee, that’ll teach her. =)
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So did you go to the woman, introduce yourself and see if you could brighten her day? God does speak to us, Nunz. He does. Sometimes he even hits us over the head with a large blunt object. He loves us, God does. All of us. I’m off to Mexico for a week. –R
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Who knew LeAnn Rimes was so smart?
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Hey….that was ME at Starbucks! 😛
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we all take a sh*t, one kernel at a time. yeah, what DID you do?
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oh my yes – we need the rest of the story!
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So, did you buy her a coffee?
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I used to work for Starbucks years go and I all too well know women like that but in the end you have to have compassion. I’m glad God sent you a message.:)
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??? “And on this day of all days.” What day was this? And by the way, thank you for sharing that wonderful “poem”. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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*This* day of all days????? What is it about *this* day particularly??
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Good stuff…makes me think about my own assumtions about certain people. Thanks.
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you are human my friend. we all strive for inner peace and forgivness, but sometimes its hard to let go of the little things like a corner chair 🙂
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Sometimes, distancing yourself from the situation, acknowledging the lesson and then accepting that YOU can change the situation (even if it takes time) is the best lesson anyone can go through. I wish you the best! And by the way – Happy (Belated) Birthday! 🙂
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Happy belated birthday. ;o)
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In a sick and perverted way, I found it comforting to know that our Nunzio isn’t perfect! We never really stop growing and learning in life, eh?
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Ah Ha! You weren’t going to mention your birthday, were you?! You’re so cute, I wanna pinch your cheeks! Happy Birthday Sweets! =)
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I can’t help but ask myself why anyone would get up when it is still dark outside to be somewhere at 5:45 IN THE MORNING, just to set in a chair when they could stay in their warm bed. See I love my sleep far more than I love revenge. I am marking this note as private b/c it sounds so incredibly judgmental when it is really being said with tongue in cheek. I did make you smirk, didn’t I? 🙂
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On second thought I probably didn’t. If I recall you and I had a communication problem when we first began emailing. Then again it is hard to hear the ‘joking’ in my voice as I type. 🙂 I’m as much of a smart ass as you could find. I don’t mean anything I said to be hurtful. I’m just trying to be funny, and make you laugh.
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Happy B-day Nunz!
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happy birthday!! you handled it wonderfully – you did not damage. not many can say that.
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I missed your birthday? And I was going to send you a picture of me in the hip waders! Happy (belated) Birthday Nunzio!
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happy birthday 🙂
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The fine print states a birthday, and while your words are always large and oft consuming in their knowledge, those tiny ones at the bottom can not be lost. Happy belated birthday and welcome back – you have been missed. Bailey
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Aha…. “This Day” – HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR “that day” 🙂
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ryn: yes, public is good. Thanks 🙂
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Thanks Nunzio. I know you’re not a ‘regular’ around my parts of OD, so I really appreciate you taking the time to give your opinion on this one. I need to have a think. Another one. I’m so tired of thinking. Take care. Tracy
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aww honey welcome to being human! *hugs* but hey atleast you DID learn! and a lot quicker then some people do!!
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ryn: Oh, I dunno about THAT. Being that I’m footing the majority of this visit myself, I’d say that I’m paying for some good bootie call. And he IS good bootie (wink!).
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Did you see your friend at Starbucks this morning? *smirks* =)
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for that note, you get added to my faves. 😉 i’ve read you before, so you’re no stranger. i have no idea how i lost you. happy belated birthday. i enjoyed this entry. 🙂
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RYN – *grin* Thanks for stopping by
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RYN: “Hell, I’ve paid a LOT more to see underware! :-)’ You TOTALLY know the pilot. Totally In Sync!
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I’m bummed that my new pics didn’t elicite ANY response from you. Tsk Tsk What more do I have to do to get you to flirt with me anymore?
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ryn: What’s “polymorphic?”
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May 18 is my birthday, too. And LeAnn Rimes is pretty okay by me.
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You’d be a polyamorist.
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I don’t usually respond to “hard-to-get.” I’m of the more is MORE mindset! The more you’re in my face, the more I want. Works that way with salespeople, too. In my line of work (marketing), I have a whole selection of vendors to choose from. Those who are paying me the most attention win me (my business, that is). Although, now that I think of it, there is hottie I would go out with.
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ryn: i’m debating the weasel offer. ::wink::
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Fear, an amazing wrecker of relationships. I do believe that and the quote that followed it has made me instantaneously adore you. And finding out just how much room you have to grow rarely (if ever) feels good. But, speaking for myself, I’m always glad if it happens before I do something utterly asinine and hurtful. So, that’s go to be a plus, right? 🙂
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You know what? I like you. Ima go back and read some more 🙂
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So are you having a torrid affair with the Starbucks woman? Haven’t seen you around in a while…just wonderin’. 🙂
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Nunzio, I loved it that you shared the human side of yourself along with the spiritual. Thank you. Perhaps this woman could have some kind-hearted soul purchase a Starbuck gift card for her anonymously,perhaps a Happy Birthday gift -she could save it or use but at least she’d know, no matter when her BD is, that someone thought of her. For my BD every year I do a random act of kindness. Hugs.
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I like the way you think things over…nice!!
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I followed here from DZ and notice a few names we share as faves. As I was reading, particularly about the fear and learning process I thought that the effort to try to be a better person is all the world really needs us all to be doing. In the end operating in that moment of pause, the moment where we choose our reaction to a situation is the most important moment. Seems to me you do that well.
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🙂 I figured it was your birthday. I loved this entry. All I can do is sit and wonder why I didn’t read you before? It Nel giving a link to Paul Potts who made me cry like a baby to get me here. See what I’ve been missing!
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