Let’s be honest, call a spade a spade, all those things…rude, inconsiderate people exist everywhere. There’s no escaping them. If anything, they will find you, wherever you are, so no use trying to avoid them. 

         Even I have come upon my fair share of thoughtless people in the magical environs of the West Village, so that’s how I can be confident that they’re everywhere. 

         Truly though, I’m convinced that being overwhelmingly irritated by people is just a symptom of a deeper problem. I wasn’t happy with my own life, or with the location of my neighborhood some months ago, so, I attributed that discontentment to the people around me. I was pissed off most of every day. I thought those people were so rude. Probably not, I was just unhappy.

         I am not that way today, however.

         Because I’ve since moved and am happy, people’s annoying traits don’t bother me as much. They just roll off my back, as if they were nothing. But despite my present relaxed reaction to offensive behaviors, I am still able to recognize these behaviors for what they are; they are just rude.

         Just this morning I was in a small café around the corner from where I live in the West Village. In there, I was having breakfast when a woman busted through the front door and abruptly requested to use the bathroom. The owner kindly obliged her, giving permission and directions to the toilet. Upon reaching the restroom, she shrieked and then quickly turned right around and met the owner back in the dining room. Loud enough for the entire room to hear, she complained how the toilet looked like the previous person had forgotten to flush. The owner then patiently explained how the kitchen staff usually pours the grease from the stove directly into the toilet, and then flushes it away. They just hadn’t flushed it yet, the owner explained. “My kitchen guy got out of the bathroom, so you could use it,” the owner said. Immediately then, one of the workers went in to the restroom to flush the soiled toilet.

         One flush is all it took. 

         Couldn’t she have done that, herself? 

         Instead she had to make a grand spectacle in a restaurant where she wasn’t even dining. What right did she have to complain about anything from that non-diner position??

         To me, this small tale cries out as a prime example of people’s inconsideration.

         People’s tactlessness envelops us.And who knows? Sometimes it may even be you who’s being rude? (But that premise is far too unpleasant to think about, so I refuse to discuss it further.)

         But just to simplify the toilet episode to really emphasize the sheer absurdity—an older woman, wearing exercise attire, had come in off the street into that café because she knew of its owner and knew he would be cordial enough to let her use his bathroom without buying anything. But instead of simply flushing the toilet before using it, this woman made a huge scene by coming back out into a public space to loudly proclaim that the toilet bowl looked undesirable.

         At that point, I would have wanted to be the owner, so I could have told her off and said, 

                   “Lady, beggars can’t be choosers!”

But much to everyone’s gratification (I’m sure), I am not the owner of said café and therefore I did not have a right to speak up. As a result, all remained calm and under wraps, as I stayed mum.

The peace was kept.