Yesterday while doing some cleaning with a few kids at the youth center where I work, one in particular kept stopping work (my pet peeve) to ask questions totally unrelated to the work we were doing. Then, to top it off, two of his cousins came in needing change. These boys know they are not supposed to be in the building unless they are working when it is not open. Irritated at being interrupted once again, I spoke the first words that came to mind. I told the boys (without asking what they wanted) they could not be in there, we were not open, and we need to finish our work. Period. Now, I did not yell, but my tone was not kind and I should have stopped to ask what the situation was. (His grandma wanted to give him some money for food and games for the rest of the evening.) And I could have communicated the same thing in a kinder way than speaking through my irritation. Funny thing is, when someone else communicates in that way, I immediately notice. And I think to...
In Hot Pursuit of More & Less.... More of Him.... Less of Me.