A Story of Patience and Free Pizza

So I arrived in Newark late at night to register for my seminar. Tons of people and a staff that is trying to keep everyone in order and happy. It could have been so easy to be frustrated and angry, but Taekwondo has taught me to be patient.  So there I am literally the last person on line but keeping a big smile on my face and being polite and courteous to the event staff when one of them offers to move me up in line so I can get in before registration closes.  Would he have done  that if I was rude and angry?

After collecting my things I went out to get something to eat and of course all the people who had also registered for the event had the same idea. Cut to one pizzeria that was woefully unprepared for a huge rush on a Wednesday night and you have a chef and waitress who are dealing with annoyed customers and, to be honest, a very disgruntled manager.   Once again I know how I would want to be treated and how to show respect to others, so I told the waitress to not worry and take her time (again being the last one on line and having been told to please wait while she ran orders). The chef seeing my patience offers me an entire brick oven pizza at no charge.

It's amazing how much patience and a smile can change people's perception. Training martial arts has given me a patience and humility that helps me make the world a bit nicer. It's a learned skill that I believed has served me well in my life and I hope I can pass along to the next generation of martial artists.