I went for lunch with my teenaged nephew BB the other day.
He chose a restaurant in downtown Calgary,
and I agreed only because it was a holiday,
and I thought it would be easy to find parking.
We found a space in a privately-owned lot,
and then I tackled the automated payment system.
I slipped in my credit card,
then waited for selections.
Eventually, it offered several,
and I punched "holiday rate", expecting to get a cheaper-than-usual hourly rate.
Instead, I was charged $12 for our intended two hours of parking.
I wasn't happy, but it seemed there was nothing we could do to change it.
We waited for the machine to produce the receipt.
And waited some more.
I was getting a little hot under the collar
when a parking company employee drove onto the lot.
I quickly made sure to tell him exactly what I thought of his system.
I didn't yell, and I didn't use any words my mother would disapprove of,
but my tone left no doubt that his system stank.
To his credit, he immediately left his car,
helped me re-navigate the system,
and pay a more reasonable rate --
only $6 for two hours.
Bargain.
I expressed my concern (same polite words; same unmistakable tone)
that the system would now charge my credit card twice... or even more.
But again, there was nothing else I could do.
As we walked to the restaurant,
I was still muttering fiercely in the same unmistakeable tone.
But BB,
my young 16-year-old nephew,
who had listened to his "mature" auntie complain up one side of that system and down the other and then start all over again --
BB responded to me with words that were gracious and patient.
I pointed my finger at him and said, "YOU are showing a much better attitude than I am."
But I returned to my complaining a couple times more.
BB expressed understanding of my frustration
but was always gracious.
As he continued to respond gently and quietly,
I finally said,
"Okay -- I'm going to stop complaining now."
And, strangely, when I stopped complaining,
my attitude about everything else improved, too.
A couple thousand years ago, Saint Paul advised his young protegee, Timothy:
Don't let anyone look down on you because you're young.
But be an example in life, in love, in faith and in purity!
I guess the lesson is still current.
Thanks for the example, BB!
He chose a restaurant in downtown Calgary,
and I agreed only because it was a holiday,
and I thought it would be easy to find parking.
We found a space in a privately-owned lot,
and then I tackled the automated payment system.
I slipped in my credit card,
then waited for selections.
Eventually, it offered several,
and I punched "holiday rate", expecting to get a cheaper-than-usual hourly rate.
Instead, I was charged $12 for our intended two hours of parking.
I wasn't happy, but it seemed there was nothing we could do to change it.
We waited for the machine to produce the receipt.
And waited some more.
I was getting a little hot under the collar
when a parking company employee drove onto the lot.
I quickly made sure to tell him exactly what I thought of his system.
I didn't yell, and I didn't use any words my mother would disapprove of,
but my tone left no doubt that his system stank.
To his credit, he immediately left his car,
helped me re-navigate the system,
and pay a more reasonable rate --
only $6 for two hours.
Bargain.
I expressed my concern (same polite words; same unmistakable tone)
that the system would now charge my credit card twice... or even more.
But again, there was nothing else I could do.
As we walked to the restaurant,
I was still muttering fiercely in the same unmistakeable tone.
But BB,
my young 16-year-old nephew,
who had listened to his "mature" auntie complain up one side of that system and down the other and then start all over again --
BB responded to me with words that were gracious and patient.
I pointed my finger at him and said, "YOU are showing a much better attitude than I am."
But I returned to my complaining a couple times more.
BB expressed understanding of my frustration
but was always gracious.
As he continued to respond gently and quietly,
I finally said,
"Okay -- I'm going to stop complaining now."
And, strangely, when I stopped complaining,
my attitude about everything else improved, too.
A couple thousand years ago, Saint Paul advised his young protegee, Timothy:
Don't let anyone look down on you because you're young.
But be an example in life, in love, in faith and in purity!
I guess the lesson is still current.
Thanks for the example, BB!
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