Step Out of the Rankle

Step Out of the Rankle
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The Rankle, as I like to refer to it, is the time we waste ruminating over life's little upsets.

Case in point. I had a sales clerk treat me poorly once she realized I wasn't going to purchase a designer label. She apparently had two sets of behaviors: 1) artificial courteousness for big spenders and 2) arrogance for browsers like me.

She repeatedly told me she was too busy to answer my questions.

What to do?

If I were to challenge her full on I'd risk exacerbating the rankle, and yet I had to do something to shine a light on this injustice. I decided humor was best.

I joked "I'm not the enemy."

The woman was taken aback by my good natured crack and began to treat me like I was less of an annoyance to be dispensed with.

Okay, done, I tell myself. I made a difference righting an injustice on the smallest scale imaginable but I helped this woman see herself. Now I can step out of the rankle and enjoy my day.

After I stepped out and the irritation lifted, I realized I was grateful on two counts: 1) For the lesson. I see it's not right to size people up and then have two sets of behaviors for people based on those assumptions; 2) To have a rankle detector in me so I can see the upsets in life and navigate through them with humor.

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