Lunch with mom...

My mother and I went to lunch yesterday. We went to Victoria's. They have delicious homemade rice pudding...it's our favorite. We arrived around 1:15 so most of the lunch crowd was gone. My mom was in the mood for breakfast so she ordered eggs...over easy, grits...with cheese and whole wheat toast. I ordered an egg salad sandwich with french fries.

We chatted about our day and also about our fast growing favorite subject...health care and pharmaceutical companies. Our server brings my mom her breakfast and then my sandwich...she forgets the french fries. I tell her that she has given me a tuna sandwich...not what I ordered. She apologizes and quickly disappears to the back of the restaurant. I wait...and wait...and wait...and sit there watching my mom eat her food. She offers me some of her grits...I decline. I feel myself getting impatient...looking around for our server...watching the food that has been prepared for other customers being delivered to them...not seeing my food come up on the counter and say to my mom, "It shouldn't take this long to make a sandwich...I ordered the simplest thing on the menu." My mom is almost done with her meal when our server finally arrives with my order. Oh no...it's another tuna sandwich...and no fries again.

By now I am completely frustrated, "Never mind," I tell her, "I don't have time to eat now." My mother had to be somewhere at 3:00 and our plans were to go to the bookstore right after lunch. The server takes the food back and I see her...frustrated...talking to the the cook and his wife, who happen to be the owners. They are in heated discussion over the way she wrote the order. This was getting ridiculous, I thought. I was aggravated...annoyed with the service...and, still hungry. I had noticed earlier that she was having a struggle with other customers as well. My mom says, "We have time...let her bring your sandwich." My body language and my face must clearly show that I am not happy. Surely the owners have noticed this too. I realize that if I cancel my order and leave she might get in trouble. I don't want that to happen. Obviously she was having a bad day. Then I remind myself that my attitude was not helping the situation. I needed to change the way I was feeling. It was no big deal for goodness sake. She made a mistake...so what! I had the power to change her day and mine. So I did.

My posture changed...I smiled and told her, "It's no big deal." She sighed with relief. She was apologetic. We finished our lunch and ate our rice pudding. The egg salad was delicious. We didn't make it to the book store. It was no big deal. I hope her day was better. I know mine was.

Happy Wonderful Wednesday - No Complaints...Attitude makes a difference!