Last weekend I went to see Captain America: Civil War with my Mindy Lorene best friend. The movie was phenomenal and it was incredible watching it with Mindy.. Mindy really really really likes Iron Man and I really really really like Captain America. There is a scene in the movie towards the end where Captain America and Iron Man are fighting.. I do not want to give anything away, but it was a very strong realization as they fight that they are fighting the wrong enemy. They are fighting each other instead of their real enemy. This scene frustrated me so deeply that I was almost screaming at the characters as I watched it played out.
I was reminded of that scene and that moment tonight at work. I had an emotionally exhausting and draining night. It started off to be a great day despite some quite strange, mean, rude, and hurtful tables, but the cycle continued all throughout the night. To the point that at one point in the day, I walked up to my table to greet them and they were immediately mean, harsh, and very disrespectful from the first second. Throughout the entire night, I had at least one table that was hurtful to me. I know in my mind, that it wasn't me. I didn't do anything to provoke these interactions that I know of…but I was the easiest target. As I was thinking back as my night was ending, it broke my heart that sometimes we forget. We forget that the person helping us is also a human with hopes, desires, pains, and dreams. We forget that our words have power and can encourage, uplift, inspire, or they can wound. We forget how deeply important it is to remember that each one we encounter is a human being and how much of an honor it is to connect, if only for a short period of time. It was also a reminder that each choice, each day is shaping who we will be tomorrow. I am planting seeds now that I will reap of as the years pass. Will I sow complaining, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness. Or will I make the intentional choice each day, in each circumstance to sow seeds of unconditional love, peace, forgiveness, and letting the small and large hurts of life to not bring a toxicity within the soil of my heart.
