Okay, now I feel terrible. That just goes to show me that I should never judge people harshly. I almost never do, but when I do it’s almost always a mistake. I’ll never fail to give someone the benefit of the doubt again, especially someone I had no real reason to doubt in the first place.
Late last night (not “late” late, but well after dark on the next-to-longest day of the year, so pretty late), there was a knock on my door. For some reason my blinds were still open, so I peeked out and there was a young woman standing there. When I opened the door, she said, “I’m here with my brother. We’ve come to get the truck.”
And do you know what I said? I said, “Finally!” Because my former gardener’s pickup has been in my driveway for about five months, half-blocking any easy entrance to my garage. I’ve been backing around it and cursing at it all this time. A few weeks ago, my landlord said he was going to take care of it, but nothing has happened since then.
“Yeah,” the young woman said, “I’m sorry. My dad was in a bad car accident and we’ve been so busy with him that no one has had a chance to come and get the truck.”
I felt about an inch tall. I told her I hoped he was okay (he is, now) and I thanked her for coming to get the truck, and she thanked me for my patience (not having heard the curses every time I backed out of the garage).
I should have known better. I’m not that way. I’m the most forgiving, open-minded person (and open-hearted) person I know. (Well, that’s a lie, but I’m in the top ten.) I don’t judge people and I don’t jump to mean-spirited conclusions. That’s why the one time I did go over to the dark side, it hurts so much. But I won’t make that mistake again. |