"Blast or Bless: What I Almost Said to That Hotel Clerk."
Have you ever watched someone scream at a store employee over something simple? Finger in their face, veins in their neck — all over something that could've been fixed in thirty seconds with a little grace. We were in my son's college town for a big parents' weekend. Found a hotel, got in line to check in. Long line. One clerk. My patience was running on fumes.
Have you ever watched someone scream at a store employee over something simple? Finger in their face, veins in their neck — all over something that could’ve been fixed in thirty seconds with a little grace.
We were in my son’s college town for a big parents’ weekend. Found a hotel, got in line to check in. Long line. One clerk. My patience was running on fumes.
Why is there only one person at this desk?
I was already rehearsing what I was going to say when I got up there.
Then the chaos started. A man walked in behind the counter, threw his tool belt down, and said — loud enough for everyone to hear — “I quit.” Before the clerk could even react, a woman pushed her way to the front of the line demanding the strangers in her room be removed immediately.
I watched all of it. And when I finally stepped up to the desk, I looked that clerk in the eyes and said — loudly — exactly what I had planned.
Then I stopped.
“Looks like you’re having a rough day. It’s going to be okay. You’re doing a great job.”
The tension in their face just… released. A small smile. Then quietly: “Thank you for your patience, sir.”
I could have blasted them. Most people in that line wanted to.
I chose to bless instead. That’s the power of hospitality — and it doesn’t cost a thing.
The challenge: Look around you as you go. Watch for ways to bless someone.
Ask yourself: What’s one thing I can change this week that says “you matter here”?
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Hospitality isn’t a feeling — it’s a practice. Now go practice it.