So lately I have been trying really hard to see only the good in people. All over the place people do things or say things that could offend you if you allow it to happen. I am NOT one of those people that takes offense by everything--as a matter of fact, normally I like to think that people mean well, sometimes they put their foot in their mouth (which I almost NEVER do...haha) and they don't mean to do or say hurtful things. I think this is a pretty good policy to live by, because frankly, if I were to get offended by people easily, I'd spend my entire life being offended by EVERYONE. And that truly sounds miserable, right?
But then every once in awhile I run into the dreaded ME monster. You know who they are...but if you're one of them, you might not even realize it. These are the people that have their own personal addendum to add on to every rule to make the rule end with the phrase "except for ME". No parking? "No parking except for me." No stopping or standing? "No stopping or standing except for me." Please be courteous? "Please be courteous, (yep, you've got it...) EXCEPT FOR ME!!!"
This weekend the hubby and I, unfortunately, felt the presence of one of these Me Monsters as we visited our favorite pizza place. Normally I have tended to shy away from the buffet because the buffet, in any restaurant, serves as a giant beacon with flashing lights and sirens for any and all Me Monsters in the vicinity. As it goes, there was probably more than one in the building, but we, in fact, honed in on this one person in particular just because he was breathing the same air as us at the neighboring table. I should know better and wear my blinders so I don't focus on these people, but it's a little like a train wreck and I can't help but continue to gawk and stare and be horrified.
Let's take a step back and say that the employee that helped us when we arrived asked if we had any special requests for the buffet...which we did. So we waited patiently until the desired pizza was cooked and out on the buffet before indulging. The restaurant was FULL...lots of people. especially families with kids. So when my very favorite pizza, which happens to be plain ol' pepperoni, came out, I knew I was going to have to share. So I took a couple of slices and walked away. I knew that they would make more--I mean, COME ON! The restaurant is full of kids--of course they all want pepperoni! I ate my slices and went back for another piece, and sure enough...there it was. A whole brand new one. It was like a miracle...or maybe like...a BUFFET!
But apparently some people don't know the way a buffet works, assumed that this was a knock down drag out death match to get as much of what YOU want before it is gone because, ya know, it's probably the LAST OF ITS KIND and you will be out of luck if you wait.
So we watch as this guy with his own self-importance swirling about his head like a giant fluffy white cloud, takes his two kids up to the buffet and loads piles and piles and PILES of pizza on four plates. One plate contained the ENTIRETY of the Oreo cookie dessert pizza, stacked high and wide--and was then set down in the middle of the table because they weren't even READY for dessert pizza yet. They also had PILES of all the other pizza--stacked so high a couple of pieces slid to the floor.
My hackles went up.
Now, here's the truly funny thing about the fact that this bugged me so much. I didn't even WANT that pizza...I was already done eating. But I did have a bird's eye view of the buffet, and so I had the displeasure of watching as all sorts of people gathered around, waiting patiently, for there to be more pizza brought out. Most of these people were mothers trying to get pizza for kids...and here sat one guy with two little kids and enough pizza between the three of them to feed the Chinese army. Seriously.
I tried to look away. Really, I did. But I just couldn't help myself and I kept right on staring and being annoyed, which is what led to my witnessing the most horrible part of this terrible tale...
I then watched as the three of them dumped all their crust, garbage, and leftovers on the uneaten dessert pizza and THROW IT AWAY! I think I heard the cha-ching as as the price of the buffet went up for all that waste. That was when I decided it was time for me to leave.
On my way out I heard the mothers by the dessert pizza trying to explain to their kids why they could only take one slice, and how important it was to think of others and suddenly my faith in humanity was restored.
Sadly, there are still ME Monsters everywhere. It's the person that speeds up in the lane next to you the minute you put your blinker on, or the person that goes through the express checkout with more than 20 items, or the person that stops in the middle of the circle to let their kids out at the school instead of going all the way around so there is room for another 7-8 cars to pull in. Or (my very favorite) the coupon shopper that sweeps everything off the shelf and into her own cart even as you are standing there hoping for just one can of whatever she just took. It would be really easy to be bogged down and irritated by these people all the time if you let them because they truly are everywhere. For now I am choosing to remember the mothers teaching their kids to share the pizza and have hope. It also doesn't hurt to take a long look at my own behavior and make sure I'm not turning into one of them myself...because the transformation can be oh, so subtle.
I always love reading your blog posts Wendy. Sometimes I think you and I are the same person in the way we think about the world around us. Only I can't my put my thoughts into words nearly as well as you do. :)
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