I am patient 95% of the time (thank god for dad’s genes), but the other 5%? RED ALERT.

One time I was in the ER (tiny accident) and suddenly realized I was supposed to pick up my friend from the airport. He called and left a message saying that he landed at LAX and was looking for me outside the terminal. Cell reception was crappy. The call kept dropping. The landline phone in the room also didn’t work. I was pissed. Having integrity and being reliable are both SUPER important to me. I never leave people hanging. Not on purpose at least.

Laying on the gurney, I rang the “help-me-I-need-something” button. A volunteer (an elderly woman) came in. I explained that I needed to contact someone immediately but none of the phones worked. She examined the phones veeeery slooooowly. I said, “They both don’t work, I am sure of it.” She then went to reception to see if they could call from there. They wouldn’t let me get up so I gave her my friend’s number along with the message – Hey there has been an emergency – I can’t pick you up. Call this person and she’ll take care of you. 5 minutes passed. I rang the “help-me-I-need-something” button the way I used to when I was a kid – lots of times, really fast. The lady came back and said they couldn’t get through, not even to leave a message.

That ignited my whack attack. “All I need is to make ONE phone call. He’s flying in from Asia and doesn’t know anyone in LA. He’s waiting at the airport and I have to use the phone NOW.” She paused and didn’t have anything else to say besides, “I’m trying the best I can.”

I yelled at a poor old lady who volunteers at the hospital!

In that moment there was not one but two things that I became more aware of. One – have patience, obviously. My friend ended up being fine (we’re all adults and can take care of ourselves, right?) and got in touch with another friend of mine who picked him up. No one was dying. He was more concerned if I was ok.

The second thing I became more aware of is being responsible with my words. Blurting something out because I’m pissed off with no concern about how it may make the other person feel is completely irresponsible. I felt horrible and apologized to the lady. All I could think was, I’m going to hell.