It’s Just Chicken!

Sometimes, we need to pause and remind ourselves, “It’s just chicken!”

Weary from the hours of driving, we pulled into the parking lot.  The endless miles of bland New Mexico landscape enhanced our felt need for a break in our journey.  After counting down the miles until lunchtime, we chose one of those dual service fast food joints – in this case, a Fried Chicken/Mexican Food half-breed.  I mindless pondered why anyone would try to integrate the two varieties while my children to battled their way out of the travel-laden minivan. Thankful anyway for the expanded options for my family’s diverse palate, we eagerly made our way inside.

After making our eclectic choices, I pondered the misnomer of the phrase “fast food.”  In most cases, it is anything but fast.  Today was no exception.  Although, the extra wait gave us a chance to stretch our legs, fill our drinks, select the appropriate condiments, and find a table.  Our order was called, the missing items were added, and we settled into our seats to enjoy the long awaited morsels.

Once our appetites were satiated, my husband turned his attention to reorganizing the troops for travel.  Leading by example, he visited the restroom and returned to start deploying the kids one at a time.  Unfortunately, my oldest daughter would have to endure requesting a bathroom key from the cashier.  Since she tends to avoid stepping out of her comfort zone in situations like these, we considered it good character development for her and sent her to the counter alone.

When our second child finished her last bites a few minutes later, we noticed her big sister still waiting keyless at the counter.  Was the attendant ignoring her or was she not asserting herself?  As we watched for a few moments, the growing commotion from a customer at the front of the line gave us an answer.

“This is yesterday’s @#$% chicken.  It’s %$#@& dry and &%$#@ overcooked.  I want something that was %#&@$ cooked today.”  The woman’s abrasive voice reverberated off the restaurant walls.  Although the employee’s voice was inaudible from where we sat, we could see she was trying to calm the angry woman.

“Well, you should answer your %$#@& phone.”

(Inaudible reply)

“How is the person calling supposed to &%*$#@ know whether you have a long line or not?  You should answer the %*&$ phone first.”

(Murmurred reply) “ . . . keep calm . . . “

“I’m not going to $*%^&# keep calm.  And I’m not leaving here until you give me my %@#$  &$%@ money back, then get me some %@#$  &$%@ food.  And it better be fresh.”

(Another muffled response) “Ma’am, if you don’t . . . call the police . . .”

As the conversation accelerated, and the customer became increasingly agitated, we decided maybe we’d find an alternate location for our potty break. This lady had clearly lost all sense of restrain as she paced the front of the restaurant raving mad and unconcerned with the eyes and ears around her.  Wondering if the woman had any weapons on her, the four of us made a hasty exit along with a number of other patrons. Suddenly, the uneventful highway beckoned us, promising a peaceful refuge.

Short of her showing up on the nightly news, we will never know if this lady resolved her dilemma peaceably.  What we do know is that she supplied our family with an arsenal of conversation for the road ahead.  As we piled in the van, we each had one thought.

“Okay lady, it’s JUST chicken.”

Even our kids identified the customer’s unreasonable response.  Her foolish tirade not only discouraged a sensible resolution, but made her appear rash and malicious.  Looking beyond this one interaction, this woman is someone’s daughter, someone’s wife (assuming the man standing next to her, unaffected by her behavior, was her husband), possibly someone’s friend and (most frighteningly) perhaps someone’s mother.  She is probably loved by at least a handful and I doubt they see her in quite the same the light as the impression she left at the restaurant.  She’s most likely an ordinary person with an ordinary life.  Maybe she has had a bad day, a bad week, or a bad year that precipitated her eruption.  Maybe she has been wounded by someone or experienced a great loss that has not healed.  Even if she is characterized by irrational rage, she may simply be the result of a Christ-less life.  Nothing more.  The people who know her understand and accept her anyway.

But those of us who watch on the fringe of her existence are not likely to justify her conduct.  Instead, we label her as abnormal or out of control.  In reality, she is a common portrayal of the world.  The underpaid cashier may go home with emotional bruises, but the person she hurts most will be herself.  When the ugliness we all harbor inside comes spewing out in turbulent ways instead of being dealt with appropriately, our ability to relate and interact with others is damaged.

This should make us stop and examine ourselves.  I know there are times someone needed to look me full in the face and help me see “it’s just chicken.”  Each of us has over-reacted to one thing or another and hurt those around us in the process.  We need to develop a self-awareness that guards our emotions before they run amuck.  As Christ-followers, we must avoid pushing those on the fringe out of our reach. By exercising self-control, we can allow our brokenness to be dealt with by God instead of being unleashed on unsuspecting victims.

The next time you feel your emotional responses getting the best of you, stop and take a breath.  It’s possible you may need to remind yourself . . .

. . . “It’s just chicken.”