Let’s show some compassion people ….

I ran over to the grocery store across the street from the office to day to grab a quick lunch. While in line waiting to pay for my food this is what I heard from the husband and wife standing behind me:

Wife: (very loudly) “you know that woman we saw walking with two kids who didn’t have coats on?”
Husband: “Yes”
Wife: (continuing loudly) “Well, I just saw them in here and I couldn’t help but give her a nasty look.”
Husband: “Why are you worried about it?”
Wife: (still loudly): “Well someone should have said something to her. We saw her 6 blocks away and she walked those kids down here with no coats on. Some one needs to tell her it’s 30 gawd da$% degrees outside and those children should have some coats on.”
Husband: “It’s not your problem. Why are you so upset about it?”
Wife: (very huffy) “Well, someone should say something to her. I bet every woman in this line here would agree with me that that woman is a terrible mother.”

Now at this point I turn around because A. I’m standing right in front of her and B. I just can’t keep my mouth shut any longer.

Me: “Look, you don’t know what is going with that woman. It seems to me that it might have occurred to you that a woman who has just walked 6 blocks with two kids in tow to get to the grocery store might not have a lot of money. Maybe they can’t afford winter coats. Maybe the kids refused to put on their coats and their mother decided to teach them a lesson and really has their coats in a bag with her, but made them walk 6 blocks one way just so they learn to listen to Mom when she says wear your coat. You just don’t know. You are seeing about 5 seconds out of someone else’s day and you have made a judgment about what kind of person she is. How you feel if I judged you just based on this conversation I overheard?”

And I picked up my bag and walked away. Man that felt good.