It always starts good at work because that's all I will accept.  I make the atmosphere with my positive attitude, and I'm always trying to pull people from darkness.  

If you ever worked retail, you know that customers can test you to your last nerve, but @runridefly has always found a way to make the best of every negative situation.  It's just the way I'm wired.

So this Monday evening I found myself working extremely hard to keep the positive environment in the small Starbucks cafe.  

A few minutes after walking onto the floor, an older homeless gentleman walks into the cafe and I can immediately feel the energy change in the store.  A line of people follow him into the cafe and he starts speaking loud enough to interrupt every conversation in the cafe.    

As he make his way to the register, where I'm standing, he starts haggling with me on the price of cup of coffee.  I'm used to this because I work at the only coffee shop open late every evening in the downtown area.

I am willing to help him out on his coffee just to move him along, but I usually don't do this because we are always doing battle against all the homeless  and drug addicts in the downtown area.

I am one of the most sympathetic to the hardship of others, but when they have no gratitude or continue to beg, I find myself less inclined to be helpful.  I know this is a fellow human being, but he only cared to improve his personal situation.   One of my strongest characteristics is that I'm a simple man, and I appreciate the humility of others that are in need.   

For two hours I had to listen to and watch this older gentleman solicit every customer that walked in and out of the store.  I don't like customers being bothered, because I dont like to be bothered.

The reason I don't interfere is because it's not my place.  I'm the guy who can hold out the longest and I'm not the manager of the shift.  In my thoughts, I told the shift manager around 10 times to call security and finally she heard me.  What is so unusual about this evening is that she is usually very quick to give the disruptive the boot, but I think because he bought a small cup of coffee, he was afforded the right to empty the cafe.  

I might sound like a big pussy, but I don't like being in such a negative space, and I'm more upset with my co-worker than the man who worked my last nerve.  This is @runridefly, feeling good about talking it out.  Thank you for reading my story.   

https://i.imgsafe.org/19decdc91b.jpg
This photograph of my son Daniel and I was taken just over a year ago by a local photographer.  My eldest son is now 22 months old and I can't believe how fast time is flying by.