Feeling invisible is not something that I often have to contend with. This changed when I was traveling recently.
I stood in the remarkably empty security line at the airport, waiting patiently to grab a gray tray. Those trays remind me of the cafeteria trays from school. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone walks up to the tray table, grabs one, cuts the line and is now positioned in front of me.
Holy crap, this shit just got real, and it just became a high school cafeteria.
The way I saw it, I had several options: I could kick her in the teeth while I hurled epithets; I could take the Zen approach and let her be, because Karma is a she-bitch; or I could choose what's behind door number three.
What was waiting for me behind door number three has not always revealed itself in obvious ways, but this was about to change, here at the airport, once and for all.
I smiled my pearly whites and I gently, but firmly, told her that I was also in line. I think I also motioned to the line with my hand, just in case she needed a visual.
She looked at me with a half-smile on her face, which I immediately interpreted as a condescending, "Oh, you're adorable, but what are we really talking about here?" Her body language supported her unacceptable action.
She casually looked around and said, "Oh, so I'm after you? Okay." I smiled again to acknowledge her genius conclusion. She stood behind me in line and then under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear said, "It doesn't matter, anyway."
Uh, yeah, it does, you wench, because if everyone behaved the way that you just did, either completely oblivious to others around you, or seeing others around you but feeling entitled to cut airport security lines, and I'm sure you do the same on highways and byways, then where the f would we all be?
The attitude is the problem. What you do on your time; in your car, house or boat, when you're alone, is your business. However, if I'm in the car, house or boat and your actions directly affect me, don't be a selfish ass.
I don't always follow the rules. I give you exhibit A, but at some point, one has to speak up and make people aware of their bad behavior and poor choices. Perhaps these people have their heads so far up their asses, that they don't know they had cut the line.
Could I have let it go? Of course. Would it have made any difference to the time that I got to my gate (which was delayed a half hour)? No, but I don't think that was the point.
Where do you draw the line? When do you speak up? I try to balance it out, and often going back and forth, weighing it out, often gives me a raging headache.
Sometimes, I'll take a nice cleansing breath, and imagine that whatever annoyance has just happened, happened for a reason. Other times, I will want to kick the person in the teeth, DO YOU NOT SEE ME? GET TO THE BACK OF THE FRIGGIN' LINE.
As Kabbalah and kind as I am, oh, and I am, it is also not an open invitation to be taken advantage of. Everyone has their limits.
Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge, I'm trying not to lose my head ah huh-huh-huh.
Namaste.