Life Lessons, When you squeeze a lemon, you don't get orange juice

Life Lessons,  I went to the food store today.  I waited for a nice parking spot up front because it was raining.  As I pulled into the spot, I realized it was a tight squeeze.  I straightened the car out and checked to my left and then to my right.

Lemon Tree, a favorite song of mine.  

I thought I might be too close to the car on my right, but before I could back up again to center my car better, the owner of the car on my right approached.  I rolled down my window to ask if he could get into his car okay.

I called out but he didn't hear me at first, and then he threw his cane into his back seat.  I called again and asked if he could get into his car okay.  The man was in his early 80's and looked a bit mean.  He gave me a dirty look and barked at me "I'm okay and you're okay, NOW GO AWAY!!!!!!!"

As I walked into the food store, instead of being offended by this response, I thought he was obviously self-conscious about his handicap and assumed I was asking if he could get in his car okay because of the cane.

All through shopping I thought, so many times over my lifetime I have been offended when someone barked at me needlessly.  I wonder....I wonder if those people had been carrying a cane if I would not have been offended.

Life lesson, we can't always see why someone might be hurting enough to bark at us.  Their hurt might be pain physically, mentally or spiritually.

Just because we can't see why they might react badly, doesn't mean that they aren't in some kind of pain.

Truth be told normal, whole people do not bark at anyone needlessly.

People bark when their inward pain is leaking outward.

I cast my hurt feelings up, up and away like a hot air balloon.  I said a prayer for the man with the cane. When I returned to my car, I saw his wife.  A tiny lady about the same age.   I said two prayers for her and I drove away with my groceries and a life lesson in tow.

Have a beautiful day!