Me Thinks

R   E   S   P   E   C   T      (Part 2)

In the last post I wrote, I mentioned that there are some things I have done in my life that I am sorry about, things which happened long ago and were done thoughtlessly.  Here is an example:

Many years ago when I was a teenager, I was the passenger in a car driven by my older brother.  We had picked up some fast food for lunch and as we drove home I was carrying a cup with some leftover soda pop and ice in it.  I saw a man walking down the road and for some reason, as we drove past him, I threw the remaining bit of soda pop out the open window and on to the man.  This was not planned--it just happened.  I remember being happy about my aim--even though we were moving quickly in the car, I had timed my throw so that the soda pop hit him directly in the pants.  I thought it was funny.  It was as if the man were a part of a pin-ball machine or a video game, not real, but an imaginary target.  But he was real.  What I did showed an utter lack of respect and charity for him, it was a flagrant display of bad manners, and a drought of common courtesy.  Let me point out that I was not told by my brother to throw the contents of the cup. I am solely responsible.  They say it is hard to knock on a door and apologize to someone after you have broken a window, smashed a parked car, or another similar offense, but it is also very hard when the person you have hurt is unknown to you and you are not able to face them and apologize to them.  I have repeated the scene over in my mind many times through the years, and I grimace about what I did and wish that I could personally apologize to the man, and purchase him a drink of his choice and a new pair of pants!  I am sorry. 

Today I read these quotes:

Your deeds are your monuments. 

 (Wonder, R. J. Palacio, pg. 65)

Be kind, 

for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

(Wonder, R.J. Palacio quoting Ian Maclaren pg. 313)