No room for ‘mushroom counters’
I met an out-of-town visitor for lunch at a local restaurant.
Two great looking meals were duly served but I detected disapproval from my guest as he sat looking over the mushroom dish he’d ordered.
Disgruntled, he started poking through his meal with a chopstick.
‘‘Everything alright?’’ I asked casually. Just counting the mushrooms,’’ he replied without even tasting his meal.
Task completed, he called the waitress back.
‘‘There’s not enough mushrooms in this meal,’’ he stated blandly. ‘‘I really enjoy mushrooms and since it states on the menu this is a mushroom meal, I feel there should be more.’’
Cringing with embarrassment I watched the very polite, petite waitress courteously pick up the delightfully plated meal and disappear with it.
She was gone for ages. More than enough time for me to finish eating. The whole saga was a real conversation killer. Eventually she returned carrying a re-plated meal with so many mushrooms, it was over the top.
Clearly a point was being made. Satisfied, he didn’t count them thankfully.
I paid for lunch apologising to the proprietor. In turn, an apology came for the delay over the second meal, plus an explanation. Although they felt the first meal was perfectly adequate, a staff member had been sent running off to a shop to purchase enough mushrooms to stretch from here to Thailand.
Having pondered over who to ‘side with’ over the mushroom issue, I’ve decided my guest was just plain small-hearted.
In the light of being presented with a delicious meal (which he wasn’t paying for), to actually conducting a mushroom headcount seems petty. Other words come to mind. Ungrateful. Unthankful. Arrogant. Entitled. I love Cambridge and its people. In our beautiful town there’s so much to be thankful for.
We are greatly blessed and if we were to compile a list of things that ought to evoke our heartfelt gratitude, it would be immense.
Sadly however there will always be ‘‘mushroom counters’’. It’s possible in the light of all we’re privileged with, to still see what we don’t have, rather than what we do have…if our focus is on how many mushrooms we don’t have, our sense of entitlement will lead us to see a half empty glass rather than a half, full glass’
Of course I’m not advocating just accepting everything. Life isn’t perfect and it can serve up difficult, unfair things. Guarding our perspective though, and looking for the things we can be thankful for, makes a difference in us.
A line from a poem goes, ‘‘Two men looked through prison bars, one saw mud, the other saw stars…’’ Gratitude helps lift a depressing outlook and keeps us healthy.
Finally, a timeless word from King Solomon, writer of the Book of Proverbs, whose wisdom has inspired millions. ‘‘For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.’’ Proverbs 15:15
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