You know I hang out at a lot of coffee houses — both Starbucks-type locations and one-of-a-kind mom-and-pop spots. (Hell, I created a whole product wrapped around that fact.)
And more than once, I’ve made a barista cry.
That’s what I’ve been told, anyway.
“I know you didn’t mean anything by it, Wally,” one business owner told me, “and I got her calmed down and all, but you really upset Brandi yesterday.”
Yeah, I can come off as an intimidating bastard.
Maybe it’s the beard, maybe it’s my size.
Some younger kids might not get that I’m joking around with them, which I usually am.
On the other hand, I demand good service, attention, and tolerate very little shit from service providers. So there’s THAT to be reckoned with, too.
Generally, though, it’s not my intention to hurt people’s feelings.
And it shouldn’t be yours, either.
But feelings are gonna get hurt occasionally anyway. It can’t be helped. Some folks are easily offended, and you have two choices to make if you’re dealing with them.
You can tap dance around them and work very, very hard to anticipate hurt feelings, which is friggin’ exhausting.
Or you can avoid those people as much as possible, which is my choice.
Life’s too short to waste time walking on eggshells.
Trust me.
“Don’t walk around on eggshells, smash them.” – Ben Settle
