Life
Man shares story of how he righted his wrongs after being rude to sales clerk
Levi Smith thinks about his rude behavior at a donut shop. Upon further reflection, he comes back to the store to right his wrongs.
Blake Hyatt
07.22.20

Sure, some people are pretty rude.

But most people are only rude sometimes.

And those sometimes are pretty rare. Rarely are people never rude at all.

Everyone’s had a bad day before. It’s really not that hard to get moody or upset. I mean, whenever I go without food for a few hours I get pretty grouchy, myself. Sometimes, it’s easy to get irritable and ultimately, irritated.

Levi Smith’s day started poorly amid a rather rude exchange before self-reflection yielded self-correction.

A simple act of unkindess caused him to reassess his actions and future decisions. Levi starts honestly,

“I was rude to someone today.”

Pixabay/Tumisu
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Pixabay/Tumisu

Everyone makes mistakes.

“We are on vacation out of state this week in North Carolina. I walked into our usual donut joint with my mask on. The owner walked up to me and started taking our order. In retrospect, I should have given more attention to her weary countenance. I took one side of my mask off so I could continue my order without being muffled. Without hesitation, she said, ‘Sir, please put your mask on.'”

Interesting, yet unsurprising. A lot of hostility surrounds the proper use of masks right now, particularly in the United States. Somehow, the use (and disuse) of masks has become a partisan issue, when it’s simply a general health issue.

“My flesh convinced me this was the time for me to be a patriot. I put the mask loop over my ear and told her we wouldn’t be needing any donuts after all. She seemed to shrug my response off, so I continued. I didn’t yell. I didn’t make a scene. But I looked at her straight in the face and told her she was rude. We exchanged pleasantries, and I left.”

Patriotism and logical, general health safety certainly aren’t mutually exclusive – the opposite, actually.

Levi admittedly lost his cool.

Pexels/cottonbro
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Pexels/cottonbro

Levi’s a spiritual person, and certainly not a hateful one,

“2 miles down the road, the Holy Spirit smote my heart. I stood for my personal belief while ignoring humility and grace. I turned the van around and drove back to the donut shop. I entered the shop, and the same woman was standing there. I walked right up to her, with my mask on, looked her in the eye, and said…

That’s very touching. It can take a lot of humility to grow as a person sometimes.

“‘I. Am. Sorry.'”

Facebook/Levi Smith
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Facebook/Levi Smith

Righting his wrongs.

“With workers and other customers looking on, I asked for her forgiveness and told her I should have been more gracious and humble. She opened up to me for a few minutes about how tough the current situation was on her as a former nurse and current small business owner. She was tired. She was weary. She was worried.”

Levi pulls out the feather pen for his next assertion,

She didn’t need a seasonal patriot. She needed a gracious Christian.

Pexels/Sharefaith
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Pexels/Sharefaith

People are forgiving.

“I purchased my donuts, we laughed, and I left. When I got back to the van, I explained to my children that it was important we set ourselves aside for the well-being of others.”

The following may be the takeaway message of his entire experience:

We will back for more donuts this week. I’ll be wearing my mask the whole time, making sure I am a blessing and not a bully. And I didn’t have to give up a shred of freedom or dignity to do so.

He’s exactly right. There’s no loss of freedom by wearing a mask. It’s just responsible and considerate. We share spaces, and our actions impact others. Wearing a mask shouldn’t be an issue. It isn’t an issue. Masks are hardly an inconvenience.

Levi looks towards his religion and the actions of Jesus Christ to illuminate his own.

Yes, be a patriot. But don’t let your personal beliefs drown out your faith and witness. All we are enduring will one day fade away, but the word of the Lord will endure forever.”

Remember, wearing a mask and patriotism are not mutually exclusive! Those who love their country should love the people in it, right? At least enough to care about their general health.

Unsplash/Tonic
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Unsplash/Tonic

And if wearing a mask to protect those around you isn’t patriotic, what exactly should be valued in a nation? Ideally, you should (and do) have the choice to wear a mask. But the choice is easy. When the health of others in public spaces comes into question, their rights and needs must be heard, too.

Ultimately, Levi’s experience and ensuing words are incredibly sincere. He recognizes the rudeness of his actions and proceeds to right his wrongs.

Levi agrees – just wear a mask in public. It’s really that simple. If someone’s asking you to wear a mask in public, it’s likely because they feel at risk, themselves.

Although it might be offputting at first, given the known contagiousness and the unknowns of the coronavirus, wearing a mask’s just the reasonable thing to do. Plus, the more vigilant we act now, the quicker things will “go back to normal.”

Be sure to wear a mask!

Jesus Christ would approve – love thy neighbor.

Pexels/Anna Shvets
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Pexels/Anna Shvets

What’s your takeaway from Levi’s day? Have you had any bad or embarrassing public mask experiences? What’s your take on what’s going on surrounding mask use?

Hopefully, Levi’s experiences can inspire others frustrated by current health and safety norms. These are clearly difficult times, but we must all take care to rid ourselves of the virus sooner than later.

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