Greetings Dear Reader,
Recently I tried a new restaurant that was supposed to offer
fresh seafood. The menu was promising
and the staff friendly. Being new in a small
community, it was very busy. I ordered
the shrimp and grits.
As I said, they were busy.
It took about thirty minutes for our meal to arrive. The table next to us had ordered just before
us. Since we shared a server, it is likely
that our orders were submitted to the kitchen simultaneously. As we waited, I enjoyed conversation with my
dinner guests. The couple at the next
table grew increasingly irritable.
In the half-hour it took for our meals to arrive, I
discovered new things about my friends.
The couple at the other table were almost fuming and barked at the server
when she delivered their food. When she
brought our plates, I reassured her that we were not upset and that we understood
that she did not control prep time for a meal.
Her smile was a great reward.
I noticed that she returned to our table every time she visited one
where her customers were not as kind. In
truth, the food was not very good. All
the right components were there but it was clear that no one had taught them
how to assemble proper shrimp and grits.
My guests both enjoyed their meals.
When we were ready to leave, our server noticed that despite
the slow service, I had left a generous tip.
I explained that the time waiting was worth it due to the time talking
with my friends. She insisted that she
did not deserve a tip that large (it was an honest 20%). I explained that it was not her fault that
the kitchen was slow. I refused to make
her pay for their errors.
Even though it was accurate, I said that to make her feel
better. In truth, I was certain that it mattered
more to show her love and grace and be an example of that for my younger
friends. As I seek to navigate the path
of being lovingly unoffendable, the balance keeps asking a question.
Does whatever is irritating me really matter? I need to firmly filter all irritants through
this. Perhaps I can become agile at
deflecting the things that do not matter instantly. It begins by asking if what I am bothered
about matters more than being loving.
This should prove an interesting conversation as we journey together
Dear Reader. Perhaps we can discover
areas of irritation that can be discarded completely. As always, I treasure your thoughts and
questions.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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