I Can Be So Obnoxious
Normally when I am out and about in public I am very polite. I hold doors for people, I smile at strangers, I compliment people’s cute kids, I indulge people in small talk if they start a conversation with me.
Sometimes though, all manners go out the window. Months ago, I went to CVS armed with a case full of CDs with photos of my kids on them. It had been a while since I’d printed photos and I was going to catch up by doing a bunch of them at a kiosk there. I got to the kiosk and put in my first CD and scrolled through photos, editing, cropping, printing and then moved on to the next CD and then the next. It was probably 5 CDs total and I would say the entire project took me about 30 minutes.
About 10 minutes into my project a woman came in and was hanging around behind me, apparently waiting to print her own photos. I wasn’t sure at first because about 3 feet to my right was another kiosk for printing photos so I figured if she was there to print photos that she would have just used that one. It became quite clear to me that she was waiting for me because she started to audibly sigh while checking her watch and was mumbling under her breath about me taking so long.
So what did I do? I went slower. And didn’t point out the kiosk right next to me. I didn’t say one word to her while she moaned and whined about me using a service that has no time limit. There are no signs saying that I must give up my spot if someone who thinks they are more important than everyone else in the world should come in behind me.
I was reminded of this event the other day when I went grocery shopping. I had both kids with me and we were doing our weekly shopping so we had lots of groceries in the cart as we headed to the car. I had nabbed a spot about 4 parking places from the front of the store. I pulled the cart up to my car, unlocked the back to start unloading the groceries and I see that a car has stopped and is waiting for my spot. Holding up traffic in the parking lot.
What did I do? I slowed down. I have two small children and a dozen bags of groceries and someone’s going to sit there and wait for me while I unload and then strap my kids into their carseats? As I walk around my car to put Eli in his seat, I see that there is a spot three spots down from me. THREE! How many feet is that? Move along, crazy person, and park somewhere else. This isn’t Christmas shopping season and we’re at Winn Freaking Dixie not the mall where you have to walk 12 miles to get to the door.
I went soooooo slooooow it was painful. And he just sat there waiting while 4 cars were backed up behind him.
So see? I’m not always as sweet as sugar. Just call me Ms. Obnoxious.
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
OMG I love it! I do it all the time. ROFL!
When a car behind me honks too much, I immediately drive sloooooooooooooow. Try it. It’s liberating!
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I’ve done that too - I don’t like to feel pressured or bullied (like some drivers do to pedestrians).
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Love it, love it! Made me laugh and smile bc the same thing has happened to me too…do people think that you’ll just go quicker with the carseats if you are being pressured????
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I do that too. I guess there’s just a part of me that thinks if some idiot is going to hold up parking lot traffic when he sees that I have a lot to do before I’m ready to pull out, he deserve the slow treatment.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I’ve occasionally done that, or wanted to do that. *sigh* I’d like to be perfect…
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I’m more direct, I think. I would have pointed out the open lanes to the woman behind me in line. I get satisfaction from doing a polite confrontation to point out behavior like that. As for the guy waiting for the parking spot and holding up traffic, I agree that it’s very odd he didn’t take the other spot. Still, I don’t think I would have started moving slower because I always think of the people behind the inconsiderate person, and I don’t want to make them wait longer because they happen to be behind the guy. I wouldn’t speed up, either. Just because someone else is in a rush doesn’t mean I have to be…
Now if a guy starts honking at me to move faster, well, that’s another story.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:25 am
One thing for sure, nothing you have said here would classify you as “obnoxious”.
I read a long time ago in Readers Digest about a taxi driver who stopped and waited patiently as a flock of ducks crossed the road. The passenger asked him why he was not hooting the horn, and the driver replied, “Mister, the ducks are walking as fast as they can.”
This is the story I keep telling myself if I were to be in the situation of the lady behind you in the photo shop.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:34 am
@fathersez - I love that story!!
March 4th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
What a moron - you should have thrown some eggs at him…
Mike
June 9th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Yep, done that. I’ve found your site from Lynnae at http://www.beingfrugal.net and I’ve been spending a lot of time reading your archives. I’m so impressed and inspired by you and your adorable house and family. Just wanted to leave at least one comment, since I’ve been here a while. And will probably be here a while longer.