My mistakes bother me, but I’m more upset by other people’s mistakes than my own. I know the explanation for my blunders, but I don’t what excuse others will manufacture for their shortcomings.

I took Ethan and a friend of his through the Burger King drive thru this afternoon and when we got home his triple stacker was not in the bag. I was as unhappy as he was because I was the one driving back to get the burger. My bad impression of the current state of customer service made me wonder how the news of the mistake would be received. I generally try to be a gracious person, but I was thinking: They better not give me any attitude. But at the same time the woman behind the counter was putting into a bag the triple stacker that was there waiting, she was opening the refrigerator and asking if it had been three people in the car. She pulled out three of their cheese cake slices. As I thanked her, she said, “No. Thank you. I’m sorry you had to come back.”