The Napkin
Last night my wife and I had went to a local restaurant and had dinner with a couple of friends. A couple in a booth across from us got up to leave and a napkin fell off the table and landed literally in the center of the aisle. I wish I could have recorded the series of events that took place surrounding that simple napkin.
I made a comment after a couple of minutes of people stepping over it that it had become invisible to everyone. Before you think to yourself why didn't I just pick it up myself, well one I was enjoying my own dinner and two it had become quiet an interesting table talk.
Believe it or not for the next 20 minutes customers and staff walked over or straddled that simple little napkin. Two waiters as they were taking orders or serving went to great lengths to not touch that napkin. Twice the nice hostess sit people in the booths perfectly between the napkin, she continued to step over it would make eye contact with it but made zero effort to move it. This little napkin had become a fixture a norm that people walked on our around but failed to see the need to pick it up. It was invisible to those around it Finally a server came along and sit food down at our table and snatched it up as though it was just part of the job.
The reason i write this is that people become invisible in our lives. There are people that we have enjoy cutting up with, making fun of, or ignoring to the point we do not even see when it becomes harmful. Like the napkin we start to step over or walk on people because they are down on the floor of life. This can go on for months or years before some kind soul comes along and breaks the cycle. People are not mine or your garbage to walk on or ignore.
That napkin may seem a silly example for a life lesson but I assure you the human nature in us treats people just as invisible as we treat objects. When you go with the flow and do what everyone else does the results can be devastating when real feelings and emotions are involved. Think about a person you work with that you just ignore or bark orders at as though he or she is your personal napkin. How about a spouse or child that you treat so indifferent that they are no better than the napkin or other garbage you step over or step on.
People and feelings matter and it is up to us to be on such a conscience level that we recognize when we step over or ignore someone. We must stop walking on folks and instead pick them up simply because it is the right thing to do.
As you go about your day think about the lesson of the simple napkin. I will never forget that and hey I was one of the people that sit back and watched. In hindsight I could have picked it up too but the lesson learned was valuable. God worked on the four of us enjoying a meal with something as insignificant as a napkin.
peace to you
Dale
I made a comment after a couple of minutes of people stepping over it that it had become invisible to everyone. Before you think to yourself why didn't I just pick it up myself, well one I was enjoying my own dinner and two it had become quiet an interesting table talk.
Believe it or not for the next 20 minutes customers and staff walked over or straddled that simple little napkin. Two waiters as they were taking orders or serving went to great lengths to not touch that napkin. Twice the nice hostess sit people in the booths perfectly between the napkin, she continued to step over it would make eye contact with it but made zero effort to move it. This little napkin had become a fixture a norm that people walked on our around but failed to see the need to pick it up. It was invisible to those around it Finally a server came along and sit food down at our table and snatched it up as though it was just part of the job.
The reason i write this is that people become invisible in our lives. There are people that we have enjoy cutting up with, making fun of, or ignoring to the point we do not even see when it becomes harmful. Like the napkin we start to step over or walk on people because they are down on the floor of life. This can go on for months or years before some kind soul comes along and breaks the cycle. People are not mine or your garbage to walk on or ignore.
That napkin may seem a silly example for a life lesson but I assure you the human nature in us treats people just as invisible as we treat objects. When you go with the flow and do what everyone else does the results can be devastating when real feelings and emotions are involved. Think about a person you work with that you just ignore or bark orders at as though he or she is your personal napkin. How about a spouse or child that you treat so indifferent that they are no better than the napkin or other garbage you step over or step on.
People and feelings matter and it is up to us to be on such a conscience level that we recognize when we step over or ignore someone. We must stop walking on folks and instead pick them up simply because it is the right thing to do.
As you go about your day think about the lesson of the simple napkin. I will never forget that and hey I was one of the people that sit back and watched. In hindsight I could have picked it up too but the lesson learned was valuable. God worked on the four of us enjoying a meal with something as insignificant as a napkin.
peace to you
Dale
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