A few days ago, we went to a small french takeout restaurant, which had only 2 outdoor picnic tables. We ordered our lunch and decided to eat outside to enjoy the weather. We sat down by the table adjacent to the kitchen window without realizing that the smoke escaping would make it hard for me to breath. My friend thought we could ask the woman sitting in the other table if we could switch seats with her.
I didn't want to push it, but she inched towards the woman and asked if we could switch seats.
Woman: Why do you want to switch seats?
Friend: Because we don't want to smell the kitchen smoke.
Woman: So why would you think I want to smell the smoke?
It was a reasonable question that caught us slightly off guard. In an effort to be considerate to me, my friend just seem like a jerk. After an awkward moment, I walked over to the woman and told her my condition. I explained that my friend wasn't trying to be a jerk. She was just looking out for me, but also didn't want to divulge any personal information. M said he could see her melt. She said she was having a tough day, because her friend is dying of pancreatic cancer. After an emotional hug, she gladly gave up her seat. After our lunch, I walked over to her and thanked her again. We hugged again. She wished me the best and said she'll send over lots of good thoughts.
I didn't want to push it, but she inched towards the woman and asked if we could switch seats.
Woman: Why do you want to switch seats?
Friend: Because we don't want to smell the kitchen smoke.
Woman: So why would you think I want to smell the smoke?
It was a reasonable question that caught us slightly off guard. In an effort to be considerate to me, my friend just seem like a jerk. After an awkward moment, I walked over to the woman and told her my condition. I explained that my friend wasn't trying to be a jerk. She was just looking out for me, but also didn't want to divulge any personal information. M said he could see her melt. She said she was having a tough day, because her friend is dying of pancreatic cancer. After an emotional hug, she gladly gave up her seat. After our lunch, I walked over to her and thanked her again. We hugged again. She wished me the best and said she'll send over lots of good thoughts.
Bad approach but stuck the landing! lol
ReplyDeleteI love this story. Sometimes, people can come off like jerks but you always have to keep in mind that they might not intend to. K gets mad so often at people and I have to remind him that maybe there's something else beyond the current situation causing people to be a certain way. Thanks for this reminder!
ReplyDeleteDitto on what Just posted. Sometime we need to take a step back and consider why people act the way they do. It's easy to forget though as we get too consumed in our own daily problems that we fail to consider others may be going through conflicts themselves. We love you for not wavering and remaining so strong and compassionate.
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ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Ronnie. I have stage IIIB NSCLC. I was diagnosed in June, a month after I got married. I'm 31, Asian, non-smoker, with no family history of cancer. From what I've read, we share similar stories. I found your blog through the magic of Google. I would love to connect with you. Let's get through this together. My e-mail address is ronnie.hx@gmail.com.
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