Do you ever remember your mother, aunt, grandma, father or
anyone for that matter ever saying that you should ensure that “the floors are
clean enough to eat off”? Well I sort of kind of do – can’t point to the exact
time but remember that being a Cleaning criteria of sorts. So that was the very
“instruction” that went through my mind when I walked into an airport washroom
and noticed from the corner of my eye someone doing something with their sandwich
(in the wrapping paper) on the floor while in the stall. “Oh my God!” I
thought, “your mother or whoever said the floor must be clean to eat off may not have meant it literally – and even if
the person did, I doubt that it included a toilet floor – at least not one in
the airport.”
I wondered if anyone else had noticed and went on to do my
business which was why I came into the Washroom in the first place. Of course,
I kept wondering to myself, why would anyone take an idiomatic expression
literally? I started concluding “That’s really idiotic – oh but why?”
I had a fast assignment so I came out to wash my hands and
noticed that the lady was still in her stall. I then decided to wash my hands a
little longer so I could see the “end of the story.” I kept debating whether to
intervene and provide unsolicited advice. As the thoughts ran through my mind,
she came out and tossed the sandwich in the bin. Phew!! Thank God – o my!
Knowing that these days more and more chemicals as used as Cleaning agents
especially in Public places, I was concerned that some of it could have gotten
to the sandwich through the sandwich wrapper – so I was sincerely relieved.
As I left the Washroom, the Holy Spirit started speaking to,
not spanking, me. Here’s what He taught me:
- Don’t assume – it was that direct. He also reminded me of how a former boss had split up the word into 3 parts to explain that assuming can make you and me look bad…I’ll let you figure out the split
- Withhold judgement – This is closely linked to the first lesson. Essentially, things are not always what they seem, we must be careful not to make conclusions based on what we see. Until we see or know the full story, we don’t have all the facts – so withhold judgement. This also applies to hearsay
- If you notice a “life-threatening” situation, intervene – the “Milk of Human kindness” should always flow in our veins
- In this age of more and more chemicals, we should do our utmost to use less and less chemicals – that way, we can actually have floors that are not just clean but safe enough to eat off as we know children (some who don’t know better) tend too from time to time especially when you’re not watching
- Most importantly, keep your eyes and ears open – teachable moments abound around us. Learn and live wisely
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