A lesson about patience

I got so angry at work earlier that I was literally red in the face.

This chief of staff of some congressman person was doing a follow up on his boss's project. He was having a bad day. He said that he was talking to my boss and then my boss said she would meet with him yesterday but didn't and their meeting was postponed to Friday but then he was texting and calling my boss but she didn't respond and so now his boss just sent him to our office so he'll know what to do.  My boss wasn't there so I was the one who entertained his inquiry.

He was so rude, he was almost shouting at me. He kept referring to his conversation with my boss he had earlier that day which he insists I should have known about. I was asking him information about his inquiry but he just said things like "ang sabi kasi ganito... bakit kasi hindi mo alam?". Ugh, so frustrating. He was talking down on me! Eventually I just asked him to wait while I figured his case  out. I felt so insulted with how he treated me, and I really thought of him as a horrible person. Fortunately, my co-workers were there to appease me somehow.

After I calmed down and thought about it, I understood where he was coming from. He was frustrated, because he wasn't getting what he needed for the longest time, and maybe his boss was also giving him a hard time. He was having a bad day, and that's probably why he was like that with me.

I then remembered the times when I was having a bad day. Was I also like him? Did I also unknowingly treat people badly? Most probably. I remember myself snapping at cashiers or call center agents, or even my friends and family whenever I was having a hard time. Of course then, I was so preoccupied by whatever issues I was having that I didn't even consider how they felt. Now I know. It feels awful. Even if afterwards when I came to my senses I understood where that man was coming from, at that moment when he was almost shouting at me, it felt awful.

This is why from now on, I have to constantly remind myself to be more patient, and be more sensitive. No one deserves to feel awful. I don't ever want to make anyone in my life feel how I felt earlier today. Even if I know that the people closest to me will probably understand and still love me if I snapped at them, I have to do my best not to.

Anyway, I was able to help this guy after I made him wait. When I got back to him, he was more calm. Judging by the tone of his voice, I knew he wanted to apologize for how he acted earlier. I just smiled and sent him on his way.

So yeah, I need to be more patient. It's nice how I learn things :)