Day 293

Today I was waited on by a young lady who was in a less than stellar mood. My first thought was "Wow, she's a pretty grouchy gal."

But then I got to wondering whether that was an accurate assessment. Was she really a grouchy person in general? Or was she just in a bad mood at that particular moment?

Later in the evening, I came into contact with another lady who was a server in a restaurant.  She was obviously from another country because of her thick accent, which made it difficult to understand her.  To make matters worse, she spoke in a quiet voice, while the restaurant itself was pretty loud.  Plus, I'll readily admit that sometimes my hearing is not so great.  I'm sure that in my frustration, she thought that I was a grouchy guy!

So it really got me thinking about the way I will often pass judgment on people based on a one-time chance meeting.  A bad mood - or a good mood, for that matter - can be set off by any number of factors.  Sure, some people are naturally surly and some are naturally cheery, but it's pretty obvious that by and large we all have our mood swings.

#293 August 9, 2011,  Pen