Morning WaWa Wisdom
I spend a lot of time whining about all of the usual crap that everybody endures, with the exception that I endure it angry. Gets me all hungry so I visit the WaWa in the night. It seems I always get a little more than I expect when I go. Daytime = crowds. Nighttime = lessons in life.
It's about 1:30 AM when I bounce in the store with the intent of two turkey bowls, a grape soda and some TastyKakes and bread. Counter boy is having a conversation with a girl employee that is just now leaving from her shift that was supposed to end at 11 PM. Deli dude had just arrived two and a half hours late. She was not permitted to leave until he got there. Rough spot to be in.
She was now saying her goodbyes in a surprisingly pleasant manner and left. Counter boy wished her well while deli dude scowled in silence, not even acknowledging her departure. Jerk head.
Now the time of wisdom unfolds. The two players remaining engage in a "tête-á-tête" as I bask in the wonder of it all.
CB - Why wouldn't you say goodbye to her?
DD- I don't like her.
CB- How can you not like her? You don't even know her?
DD- I just don't.
CB- What sense does that make? Do you hate for no reason at all? How can you walk around feeling that way? What does that accomplish?
DD- Well, she was mad because I was late.
CB-You were late. REAL late!
DD- Everybody gets here late.
CB- Yeah, maybe ten or fifteen minutes. You were two and a half hours late!
DD- So? Maybe if someone would give me a car I wouldn't be so late.
CB- Are you kidding me? You're twenty-nine years old! No one is going to give you a car. No one is going to give you anything. How can you not know that? How can you not understand why she would be upset? Suppose you worked 3-11 and had to wait for someone to show up before you could leave? Suppose you had to catch a bus to get home and they stopped running at midnight? How would you feel about that? Then suppose the guy came in the next day or maybe two and a half hours late without any apology or explanation? Suppose the guy never even talked to you because he doesn't like you for no reason at all? How would you feel about that? Suppose the big man here didn't like you for no reason and came around there to slice his own deli? Suppose he was waiting two and a half hours to get fed? Do you at least know not to ever keep a big man waiting, especially for food?
This conversation struck me because here were 2 people in the same situation working graveyard at the WaWa, yet at opposite ends of the spectrum. One with the mentality of everyone owes me something-it's not my fault-I did nothing wrong-so on and whatever, while the other guy understood work-responsibility-courtesy-and felt no shame in trying to educate his brother.
It was a beautiful thing. The wise young youngster preaching to the blind ignorant old head. The conversation went on for the entire time I was there and I hope for hours after I left. Deli dude made some mediocre turkey bowls too. I hope it was because he was considering new approaches to life. He didn't keep me waiting.
It's about 1:30 AM when I bounce in the store with the intent of two turkey bowls, a grape soda and some TastyKakes and bread. Counter boy is having a conversation with a girl employee that is just now leaving from her shift that was supposed to end at 11 PM. Deli dude had just arrived two and a half hours late. She was not permitted to leave until he got there. Rough spot to be in.
She was now saying her goodbyes in a surprisingly pleasant manner and left. Counter boy wished her well while deli dude scowled in silence, not even acknowledging her departure. Jerk head.
Now the time of wisdom unfolds. The two players remaining engage in a "tête-á-tête" as I bask in the wonder of it all.
CB - Why wouldn't you say goodbye to her?
DD- I don't like her.
CB- How can you not like her? You don't even know her?
DD- I just don't.
CB- What sense does that make? Do you hate for no reason at all? How can you walk around feeling that way? What does that accomplish?
DD- Well, she was mad because I was late.
CB-You were late. REAL late!
DD- Everybody gets here late.
CB- Yeah, maybe ten or fifteen minutes. You were two and a half hours late!
DD- So? Maybe if someone would give me a car I wouldn't be so late.
CB- Are you kidding me? You're twenty-nine years old! No one is going to give you a car. No one is going to give you anything. How can you not know that? How can you not understand why she would be upset? Suppose you worked 3-11 and had to wait for someone to show up before you could leave? Suppose you had to catch a bus to get home and they stopped running at midnight? How would you feel about that? Then suppose the guy came in the next day or maybe two and a half hours late without any apology or explanation? Suppose the guy never even talked to you because he doesn't like you for no reason at all? How would you feel about that? Suppose the big man here didn't like you for no reason and came around there to slice his own deli? Suppose he was waiting two and a half hours to get fed? Do you at least know not to ever keep a big man waiting, especially for food?
This conversation struck me because here were 2 people in the same situation working graveyard at the WaWa, yet at opposite ends of the spectrum. One with the mentality of everyone owes me something-it's not my fault-I did nothing wrong-so on and whatever, while the other guy understood work-responsibility-courtesy-and felt no shame in trying to educate his brother.
It was a beautiful thing. The wise young youngster preaching to the blind ignorant old head. The conversation went on for the entire time I was there and I hope for hours after I left. Deli dude made some mediocre turkey bowls too. I hope it was because he was considering new approaches to life. He didn't keep me waiting.
posted by RJK at
1:16 AM
2 Comments:
Beautiful story and I'm glad you shared. :0) Thanks.
If folks are old heads by 29 - well I guess I'm lucky I still have a pulse!
Cheers! Granny
You notice so much that goes on around you. It must be all that expendable time? If that were me, I don't think I would have cared enough to notice, let alone listen or care what young CB was teaching loser old head DD. I envy you.
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