Every once and awhile do you find yourself saying horrible things? Can a stranger raise your ire? This weekend I was rude to someone and I’ve since repented, though I still need to apologize to the old lady. Yes I said old lady.
I think we are all familiar with the person in our neighbourhood who constantly monitors peoples actions and is bold enough and bored enough to ensure they know what’s what. We have at least 3 of these in my townhouse complex. I call them the playground nazis. If someone over a certain age, say sits on a piece of playground equipment these women come out of their houses to make sure they get off or at least told off. The youth get a hard time in particular. Weekly revisions to the playground rules are distributed to each household. My encounter wasn’t over this issue but gives some context to the brash tongue your about to read unleashed. I’ve had one of these ladies tell me I could be on the equipment with my kids as long as I didn’t go on the slide. What? Are you insane? So I can get on the playground in any fashion but I just can’t get down the easiest way. I can’t play with my children? The space I take up on the playground must be confined to arches and bars (their are no steps)? Have you ever managed 2 toddlers in an open play area?
Anyways, Joshua, Brigs and I were walking peacefully around our complex—and quietly (surprising actually). The complex has walkways going adjacent to everyone’s backyards. I say backyards but there is no fence separating these open spaces. We have family housing and a small senior set of housing. As we were walking down one of these public walkways a lady steps out of her backdoor and says “You can’t be walking back here.”
To which I said, “I’ll walk wherever I please thankyou.”
Her cantankerous reply “Oh know you won’t, we live here.”
“I live here too.”
I can’t remember what she said next but my next mature reply was along the lines of “Why don’t you come out here and make me.” She said something about looking into making sure I never came through here and then gave a real cold stare, the kind only a woman can give. My kids weren’t inclined to leave just yet so in response to this stare I said, “I don’t understand what the problem is? You don’t like people walking by on the sidewalk? If it’s such a problem why don’t you close your eyes?”
That ended the conflict, but started the internal one I’d feel a few minutes later. I’ve since prayed about the matter and sought forgiveness, but now I’ll have to swallow my pride and apologize for my treatment of this woman. This is one of those situations where I still disagree over the matter but I also disagree with how I handled it—which is extremely poorly. I’ll update you on my future apology. I’m determined to keep my tongue in better check, and handle things with some class. I’m still in shock with myself. Just remember, there is still good in me.
