Today, I went to Chipotle after years, and it made me realize two things:
A) How satisfying Chipotle tastes and B) The lack of empathy that many people have toward other people
I stood in line when a middle-aged white man went to the register and began shouting.
“I placed my order online 15 minutes ago, and it still isn’t ready! I need it ready NOW.”
The employees were visibly distressed. The line of customers was out the door, and they apologized to the man, explaining they were short staffed.
Being a small business owner, I understood this.
Everyone is understaffed lately. And the ones that do show up to work–well, they’re doing the best they can.
I saw the Chipotle employee in front of me grab the receipt with the man’s order and began filling it right away.
Under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear, he said, “What an asshole. We’re out here on Labor Day working as hard as we can, while most people get to relax. And he just wants to throw a tantrum.”
He slammed the man’s order down in front of him and walked away.
And I thought–something has to change.
Service workers are burnt out. Health care workers are burnt out. Small business owners are burnt out.
That’s why I made the decision to leave my family business after 10 years.
I was burnt out too.
And not just that, I’m emotionally exhausted with dealing with COVID-19.
Every time I go out, I ask myself, “Is it worth it?”
“Is grabbing Chipotle worth the risk of possibly exposing my child or mother?”
I’ve become almost numb as I scroll Facebook and see another funeral announcement.
I don’t know where I’m going with this post–
But I just want to say that I’m tired. Everyone’s tired.
We’re all doing the best we can to get through tough times, and I wish people were just a little kinder to each other.
That is all.