A Kind Answer Turns Away Wrath

You meet so many amazingly wonderful and kind people when you are traveling — people that are VERY different from us but just nice. 

At one gas station I met two gals who were from right where I grew up in South Florida. Completely different lifestyle. Very nice people. 

So when someone is just rotten, it takes me off guard. 

About two hours outside of the Grand Canyon, we pulled up at a gas station .... 

There was a guy in front of us with his wife and dog. They didn’t pull to the first pump. Gas station etiquette 101. We have this huge camper too so even more reason for them to pull forward. 

So I rolled down the window and very nicely said: “Sir, would you mind pulling forward?”

And he started yelling at me! 

Says: “all these pumps and you have to pick this one?” 

(The one we picked was very purposeful. We do a ton of discussing at every station to figure out which pump will prove the easiest to get in and out of and which will block people the least.) 

And John says: “I have a huge camper, sir.” 

And the guy says: “I used to drive an RV. I know.”

(And I want to say: “Then you should know how hard it is to maneuver these things!”

So then, the guy pulls forward slamming his door and just being a jerk. His wife decides to be equally jerky. 

John gets out and says: “I’m so sorry I wasted five seconds of your time.” (Later he told the kids he probably should have kept his mouth shut here but he was mad the guy yelled at his wife.)

But then the new pump the guy drove up to didn’t work. (Murphy’s Law!) So he had to circle right next to John. John is so used to crabby people working in an Emergency Room. He has learned over time that “a gentle answer turns away wrath.” So he offers to buy the guy’s gas. Guy says no. And then guy says “I’m sorry I was so crabby. It’s been a horrible day. I have driven those snd it’s hard.”

And then Hannah turns to me and says: “mommy I’ve never heard daddy get mad at a grownup that wasn’t you!”

That last part made me laugh hard. 

But then .... we get to our new park and meet this new couple. They are a retired physician and his wife from near us in Bristol. SO nice. They leave early in the morning and leave us this: 

“Have a great birding day. Not sure what kind of birds lay chocolate eggs! Have a safe rest of your trip!”

Kindness goes a long way.