Why I Gotta Be So Rude?

This exhaustion of mine is getting really old. I am concerned about my adrenal glands and have been cutting back on coffee for the past few days. I sure felt the lack of caffeine while at work today. I was rude to a customer and I feel awful about it. I had gotten flustered over someone not claiming a “to-go” order (I work in the food service industry). There were only three groups of people to choose from, and I was sure the order I was bringing was this one woman’s, but since a group of two guys had ordered ahead of her, she was thinking it should be theirs. I have assumed wrongly about people’s order before, so I said, “I’ll just wait until the other order is ready so there won’t be any confusion.” (I got flustered at this point and said some other things to myself, but I don’t remember, and the woman could have heard my flustration.) The other order, different from the first, came up and it was for the two guys. The rude part came when I pointed out the difference in the guys order and hers. I honestly was annoyed so I am sure it came out in my voice and facial expression.

I am not in the right for expressing any annoyance in view and earshot of a customer. I need to keep it to myself. But being tired makes me easily annoyed and angered. It makes me quick to frustration. I was even trying to not be like I was today. I am struggling to put a hold on my emotions when I feel so tired.

When stuff like this happens, I can get really down about it. But I have to learn from it and move on. I need to practice closing my mouth and smiling. I have thought about what a Japanese person would have done. She would have bowed and said, <>  (I’m sorry. Please wait a moment.) Or something like it.