But, like, don't harden your heart....

So, yesterday, as I was sitting in my office trying to place an order with a customer service representative in Georgia, I was getting quite frustrated.

During my busy work day, he was asking me to state my different billing and shipping addresses, repeat the distributor's number three times, and provide my credit card information. This would have been (almost) fine, really, if he wasn't responding to me at snail's pace.

And....the... zip..code...is....1...0..0....0...3 ?

I mean...really? Who has time for that? 

When I finally finished that painful phone call, I laughed to myself as my colleague totally called me out for being a typical Type A New Yorker.

I'll own it!

After all, I did ask the rep if I could just email my information to him while we were on the phone, as well as remind him that I wanted a confirmation number--before he could even get the words out of his mouth!

Sure, I was aggressive, but I wasn't rude. 

Not to pat myself on the back, but I do have a talent for empathizing and staying calm with even some of the most ridiculous and frustrating people. (I don't know if I owe that more to my training as a Marriage & Family Therapist or attempting to find a relationship-oriented and compatible man in the dating scene (jungle!) of NYC!)

Anyway, of course, I am also human and on some rare occasions, I do lose my cool. 

But whether its an interaction with a stranger or the guy I am in a relationship with that I hope will be The ONE, I always remind myself: 

It is a choice to be kind.

Time and time again, with every new interaction you have, it’s up to you to choose how you respond.
Because there will always be frustrating and ridiculous people to deal with. 

Being rude and hard doesn't protect you from them, just as being guarded in relationships won't definitely prevent your worst nightmares from coming true. 

Even if you are hardened in love and life: You don't have to harden your heart, and ya know, act hard. 
​
'Cause peace, love, and Skittles are much more rewarding......