my hypocrisy DOES have limits!

I was in Wal-Mart the other day to return an item that had (predictably?) broken. Standing in line in customer service was painful: one poor young man behind the counter, and people doing apparently non-simple things like money transfers and check cashing. Adding to my discomfort was the fact that the two young men in front of me were first loudly discussing Mormonism ("I hate 'em. They get everything wrong about the Book of Life... No, I guess I hate what they believe. Love the sinner."), then loudly complaining about the lack of efficiency at Wal-Mart. Then they were joined by the two people behind me.

"Guess we can't expect much more than this. It is Wal-Mart."
"God forbid they call someone else up. That might make sense!"
"Someone call the manager. I'll bet he can do such a simple task as help people."

Upon walking back through the store to leave, I heard a young woman pushing a cart say offhandedly to her companion: "This place does such terrible things to people."

There are so many things wrong with ALL of the above that I barely know where to start!

1. I was in Wal-Mart. Gross.
   
2. Supposed Christians having such loud (and erroneous, might I add) public discussions about any other faith is off-putting... I love Jesus, but I still found what they were saying offensive.
3. I really really dislike Wal-Mart, calling it the devil's playground... but I have the good sense (taste?) not to complain bitterly about the place while I'm giving them my business, no matter how begrudgingly I do so. HOWEVER, if you drag me to Wal-Mart, I'll make snide comments under my breath the entire time. Molly has been on the receiving end of this, but it's her fault for taking me there in the first place!
   
4. Sniping about the job someone is doing when they are obviously doing their best in a difficult situation is wretched and ugly. This and a few other instances have shown me in glaring detail how unpleasant impatience is, and how it makes the impatient one very unattractive.

So, I'm trying to be more mindful of my own impatience, which really knows no bounds and which I've been freely expressing to this point. I'm trying to have more grace for others in circumstances beyond their control, even and especially when those circumstances are then inconvenient to myself.

Hmm. Never thought Wal-Mart would be able to teach me anything beyond how to clutter up a store beyond all recognition or how to fool a nation into thinking that cheap shit isn't still shit.