A Dadgum Sammich!

Last May my wife and I went on our first cruise.

We absolutely loved it.

It was a seven-day Eastern Caribbean and featured three stops in gorgeous tropical locations.

We enjoyed our time away and were blown away by the service and care of the crew onboard our floating city.

There was seemingly an endless supply of food/drinks, entertainment and spa treatments as we floated along our Caribbean tour of islands.

Whenever we needed anything an attendant was right there. Whenever we left our room, and I mean whenever, we came back to a made bed and fresh towels.

It was amazing. It won’t be our last cruise, no doubt.

One day we wondered up to the customer service desk to inquire about our next stop and something crazy happened.

As we were talking with our service representative a… um… well… let’s say “husky” man waddled up next to us.

He was 5’6” ish and lobster red in color. We couldn’t tell if this was due to anger or too much time by the pool.

It turned out to be both.

“HOW LONG does it take to get a DADGUM SAMMICH!?!?!” he bellowed through his thick Southern accent.

Before the attendant could respond he laid into her again. “I mean was standing in line for over 45 minutes! My wife thought I went missin’.”

“THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY WHOLE LIFE!” His southern twang reached higher octaves with every verbal barrage.

The professional attendant started to apologize for the inconvenience.

He cut her off with, “THIS IS REEEEE-DIC-U-LOUS!”

Then from out of nowhere his tone and volume changed.

He looked to his right where Stacey and I tried not to laugh or stare and said in a near whisper, “I’m sorry folks, I’m not trying to make a scene.”

Too late.

Stacey and I walked away after having our questions answered and were in a word, embarrassed.

What gets into people? Why / how do we treat other people the way the “Sammich-Man” did?

Of all the things my dad taught me growing up, kindness may be the most memorable. It’s probably the one trait he’s worked hardest to instill (sense of humor is a close second).

I am far from perfect in this area. I’m sure anyone reading this post has struggled with kindness at least once or twice as well.

Moments like this one, when you witness first-hand how silly and rude people can be serve as a reminder to season every personal interaction with kindness and grace.

In the long run kindness to others will ultimately benefit you.

Proverbs says it this way:

“Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.”

Don’t be like the dadgum “Sammich-Man”; Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4.32, NLT)

It’s not just the right thing to do. It makes life so much more pleasant for you and others around you.

Not to mention…

You don’t want to make a scene.

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