The bump was intentional. The push from my right was physically leading me to enter the door on my left. I was being manhandled! Physically confronted from the front, forced from the right, and pulled from the left. Without any ability to control things, anger was already rising through my throat. No! Not now, not ever. A single wish was surging though me, unbidden, uncontrolled, and still growing. “Beat down the doors with sledgehammers, then split them into kindling.” (Psalm 74.6)
The area that the start-up office is in is going through a gentrification process. New restaurants and a made on premises gelato shop are visibly changing the character of Circular Road. Even as the first new place has shuttered its doors, more brave enterprises are staking their ground. With the law firms, asset management companies, and other offices dominating the upper floors of the buildings next door, the questionable establishments are flowing being pushed to unknown neighborhoods.
It is exciting to see the progress. The cautionary note is that some of the enterprises that gave the street its edge are still here. At times, especially in the bars offering temporary friendships and expensive drinks, the employees get aggressive. Their business model depends on individuals who want to be in darkness. When business is slow, aggressiveness follows. When things run late, one needs to realize that leaving the office late comes with an annoyance that is hard to avoid.
As I reflect on my anger, I reach for better options.
I believe more is always possible. As much as to myself as to anyone, let me suggest the following.
I can avoid the opportunity for a direct encounter with a slight change of my path. As a gift to myself and to others, I can avoid the incident and the emotions that follow.
When calls come, from the employees to me, I can respectfully acknowledge their presence. Treating others as if they do not exist is never the best answer. Everyone is part of Divinity’s family.
Questions deserve answers, even when spoken from doubt and darkness.
