How do you typically handle encounters with "special needs" individuals?
"True happiness is really only to be found in sympathetic sharing." (Johann Wolfgang Goethe)
In my last blog, I reported that I would begin a "Third Place" experiment whereby I would prioritize spending more "quality time" with people in local gathering places on our next road trip. So let's begin with my brief interactions involving a troubled adult man I encountered at McDonalds Restaurant recently in my hometown.
FINDING THIRD PLACE #1
I like to eat breakfast at a nearby McDonalds a few times a week. The employees are friendly and some interesting people watching takes place when I'm munching on my meal. Lately, I'd been noticing a formally dressed gentleman of potential "special needs" interest as he slowly limped on each occasion to his seat, ordered nothing and then proceeded with sad eyes to stare obliviously at the windows for extended periods of time.
So I obviously felt shocked a week or so afterward when in fact I saw this odd man now dressed in his casual McDonalds uniform slouched forward behind the order counter with kind of a slurred lisp, and said hello. So I told him I wanted my usual order of an English Muffin with scrambled eggs, one butter, and a senior decaf coffee. Staring at the cash register at my request, he displayed nervous confusion and seemingly did not know what to do. Fortunately his antics caught the attention of the restaurant manager who kindly took over from him and quickly punched out on the register my order request. As I waited a few minutes for my coffee to brew, I observed with interest that the besieged server started pacing around the seating area with a scared look on his face.
With my teacher instincts honing in, now seemed the time to take action. So I yelled out from my seat to get his attention and then engaged in some brief "chit chat" with him to hopefully calm him down. Being under less pressure to fulfill his job duty requests behind the cash register, he gave me surprisingly candid answers about how felt about his job while I commended him for his hard work efforts. With good reason, this troubled man probably will not last much longer at McDonalds but at least I've given him a moment to believe in his self worth that day.
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