Tread Lightly

My hairdresser has quit!  I assumed the many weeks of being closed was the cause of a career change but was surprised when she shared that she simply could no longer take the abuse of customers.  She said it had become a daily occurrence to have folks arrive to the salon refusing to wear a mask, refusing to book appointments or refusing to follow the COVID-19 protocols of the salon.  And some of those who were able to follow these simple instructions would sit in her salon chair complaining nonstop about everything.

  “Each morning I dreaded coming in and by my lunch break I felt like a weight was on my shoulders.”  So, she took a full time job in a completely different field and no longer deals with the public. 

She is not alone.  It would seem many are fed up with rude and toxic interactions.  I noticed last week a new sign was taped up at the McDonald’s drive thru.  It reads, “We believe in fostering gracious behavior in our restaurants and creating a pleasant environment for both our guests and staff. Please treat our staff with respect and dignity.  McDonald’s reserves the right not to serve abusive customers”

A similar sign went up at a couple of grocery stores in town and the Dollar Stores.

Let’s tread lightly. It has been a long pandemic for everyone. Yelling at the drive thru waitress or the grocery store clerk is not going to solve any of your problems.  I guarantee you will actually feel worse and most definitely so will everyone who heard you.  So, stop it. 

 Do yourself a favor and everyone around you, be kind if for no other reason than the kindness will come back to you! How you treat others is how life will treat you.  As Mother Teresa said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

Choose kindness,

Rev. Heather McCarrel

Minister at Kemble-Sarawak, Zion-Keppel Pastoral Charge

Photo by Matt Collamer,used with permission/ Unsplash