It all went down in about 30 seconds
The other day I went to the movies. I told the teenage guy behind the window which movie I wanted and he asked, “Do you want an adult ticket?” The movie was not a kid’s movie so I was a little bewildered why he would ask me that question.
“What other ticket would I want?” was my reply. Only when I saw the stricken look on his face did I realize the predicament I had put the poor fella in. He had no idea how to ask me if I wanted a “senior” ticket. I guess, from his vantage point of all of 17 years, I look old. From my vantage point, I’m nowhere near “senior”. I let him stew a little, fully intending to help the poor guy out, but then he did an extraordinary thing.He took the high road.He looked me straight in the eye and without blinking he said, “You could want a student ticket?” I held his stare, totally taken aback at his quick recovery. I smiled, told him I wanted an “adult” ticket and then said, “Well done. Excellent response.” He burst out laughing and said “Thank you.” He beamed. I beamed. The music soared.It all went down in about 30 seconds but for those few moments we connected. We made each other’s day a little brighter, a little funnier and a little better.This young man, only in his second decade of life, has learnt two important lessons already:
- Never make a woman feel old.
- Proverbs 15:1 "A sensitive answer turns back wrath, but an offensive word stirs up anger."
It made me wonder how often I take the high road. Is my default response the first or second part of that scripture verse?So here’s the thing. For the next few weeks I am going to intentionally put part 1 of this verse into practice. I’m going to find opportunities and I’m going to experiment - family, friends, strangers and enemies will be subject to “a sensitive answer turns back wrath but an offensive word stirs up anger.” I’ll have a report-back blog soon. Watch this spot.Question: Care to join me? Will you take up the challenge of Proverbs 15:1 and report back? Click here to comment.