annoying crud
the guy i sit next to at meal time everyday -
has really bad table manners.
he's a nice old man about 80 years old, with a tragic history.
he speaks pretty much only greek and yet through
broken english we seem to communicate at least sometimes.
he eats everything super fast and with a slurping sound. Like
he is sucking it all in asap. Like it's his last meal.
I bet he has PTSD from what he's been through -
and I bet his speedy eating is like a grasp at opportunity to
eat since he has nothing else in the world. His family abandoned
him and the monastery took him in.
His feelings of vulnerability must be HUGE!
So he sucks in the food rather than eating it
calmly and upright? I don't know I empathize but also
frankly it's gross...and it sets me on edge which ulitmately
wears me down. I'm just bummed tonight. Some
lady whispered what sounded like "Trash" at me
when I opened the door for her tonight.
The 'feelings rollercoaster' just has me frustrated.
I'll go to sleep soon and give my day order.
xoxo
Mark
Replies
have a good night.
I know I would find sitting next to this man a challenge as well....when growing up my brother sister and I had a couple of initials that we would use instead of the words that might get us in trouble "cwmc" chew with your mouth closed! To this day, I have that kitchen table, a metal table with glass top and only two chairs...the other two were lost in Maine apartment when that was fixed up and rented way back in the 70's when Nixon Watergate Trials were on tv every day...Mom and I would be painting and cleaning the apartment....Thank You For The Memory Recall <3
One thing I know for sure, """You can always ask, just be prepared for the answer"""
More times than not when people are nasty ""it's on them/their lives''' and Not The Person Who Is The Receiver of the Nasty Words/Action.
So ask to be moved to a different spot at another table, and let go of this woman's control over you.....don't give her the power to upset you!!!
Life is too short,"""don't let negative energy be your friend"""" words by John when he was in high school....
Hugs <3
Big hug sweetie.... Gross eating habits can be disturbing for sure... I hope that you and Blue can cuddle tonight and have sweet dreams.... xo
i started learning "table manners" at the age of 19, in the army. in 1974 i and the women i was travelling with were the first female soldiers to ever be stationed in SW germany, very near the border of france. the local population was immensely curious about us and part of our duty roster was attending various local functions as liaisons. my busted give-a-damn didn't much care to worry about refined sensibilities such as precision eating but i wasn't out to offend, either. i learned german table manners. girl, howdy, those folks worship refined precision eating. i still, more or less, eat with german table manners.
not too many of my fellow WACs were charm school trained, but were housebroken enough to care about what other people thought. the anxiety over learning foreign table manners verily ate them alive, pun intended. a few of them froze into puddles of social anxiety over the weight of their ignorance. i often committed a deliberate faux pas, just to set them at ease. if anyone other than the two of us noticed, nothing was ever said and they learned that there are meaner problems in life than precision eating.
dunno if that is pertinent to your new table companion, or not, but? ? ? just sharing. . .
maybe you can see it as an exercise in compassion? i've heard rumors that monasteries specialize in compassion.
thanks Mary Louise, Janet and Arfie! :-)
Starting the day here -
Have a good one out there!