Do not judge, lest ye be judged.
This is one of the expressions my Mom used to say to my sister and I often while we were growing up. It pops into my head on days like these.
Just last weekend, I had some home stuff that needed taking care of.
(Just an FYI, I’m going to change a few things in this rambling to keep the person I chatted with anonymous.)
On Saturday, I headed to the grocery store to buy some brussels sprouts. We really needed them and I was working on a recipe that included them. I wasn’t sure how to cook them. When I asked the person who was working in the produce section about them, he begrudgingly showed me where they were without too much conversation. To be honest, this person looked very grumpy and I wasn’t too interested in getting help from him.
But on Sunday, I really needed help with this. I went back to the store and went to the Front Desk asking if there was anyone there who was an expert in produce. The two people working behind the desk said, “You have to talk to ‘Fred’. He knows everything about fruits and vegetables.” I was thinking to myself, that’s great because I don’t want to deal with the person I chatted with yesterday.
They grabbed their phone and called back to Produce. ‘Fred’ was available and would meet me in the produce aisle shortly as he was on break. I was happy.
I strolled over and waited. As ‘Fred’ walked back from break, I saw it was the same person I talked to the day before. I started to think, “Uh-oh.”
He walked over near the doorway, took a minute and then came over. I wasn’t sure what he was doing there but I stepped over and noticed a time clock. I told him I appreciated him coming back from lunch to help me. He said he never takes lunches because he likes to get home earlier. His new boss, however, had reprimanded him and wrote him up about it.
(A side note. I’m a good listener. I don’t always toot my own horn but if someone wants to talk or needs to get something off their chest, I’m happy to oblige.)
At this point, ‘Fred’ needed to talk. And he certainly did. For a good ten or fifteen minutes, I listened.
He was no longer allowed to leave early even though he had been doing this for years. Previous managers had no issue with it and he was none too happy about it. Having to clock in and out for a lunch time he had no desire to take was not what he wanted, especially since he’s retiring at the end of this month. It turns out that he really enjoys assisting people who need his help. It wasn’t the way he wanted to end his career. He didn’t understand it and was pretty frustrated.
At that point, I realized why he was a little bit grumpy the previous day. I would be too. He told me to come back anytime and he’d be happy to help with any of my produce issues. By the time I left, he was smiling and that made me feel good. Turns out, ‘Fred’ is a pretty nice guy.
I’m not always the best at judging others. At times I make snap judgements about them. It’s something I continue to work on.
On Sunday I learned a good lesson on being judgmental.
Do not judge lest ye be judged.
I ‘ll keep working on it.