Coin Counting Old Lady Thinks She’s All That But I’m Entitled!

I remember the day vividly, the day when my sense of entitlement collided head-on with the reality of the world around me. It was a mundane trip to the bank, or so I thought. Armed with a check in hand, I entered the bank with a singular purpose: to deposit it and be on my way.

As luck would have it, there was only one teller window open, and to my dismay, it was occupied by a little old lady with a jar of coins. I could feel impatience bubbling within me as I watched the teller painstakingly count each coin. I was in a hurry, after all, and I couldn’t fathom why this woman couldn’t have done her business elsewhere or at another time.

In my mind, I rationalized that my transaction would take no more than a minute, unlike this elderly woman who had probably been there for ages already, with no end in sight. So, without a second thought, I demanded that she move over, my impatience dripping from every word.

But the response I received was not what I expected. Instead of complying, the old lady surprised me by hitting me with her purse. Shocked and indignant, I couldn’t believe her audacity. Who did she think she was?

But then she spoke, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and disappointment. “You’re a spoiled brat,” she accused me, her words cutting through my entitlement like a knife. “You probably had horrible parents.”

Her words stung, not because they were true, but because they held a mirror up to my own behavior. I didn’t have terrible parents; I just hadn’t heeded their teachings as well as I should have.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the other teller, who had been absent until that moment, reappeared and offered to assist me at her window. Sheepishly, I accepted, realizing the error of my ways.

Turning back to the old lady, I offered a sincere apology, but instead of accepting it graciously, she continued to scold me for what felt like an eternity. And in those five minutes of reprimand, I learned a valuable lesson.

I learned that the world didn’t revolve around me, that patience was a virtue worth cultivating, and that kindness should always trump entitlement. Most importantly, I learned that sometimes, the greatest lessons come from the unlikeliest of sources – even a little old lady with a jar of coins and a well-wielded purse.