Photo by Eduardo Jasser Pinili on Unsplash

I called to complain about our Internet service last week.

Or should I say, I called to complain about the lack thereof? We are still in a pandemic, after all. So Netflix feels like an essential service. Plus, everything I do for my mostly-non-paying day jobs as a writer and a keeper-of-medical-records are done online. I was in the middle of transferring a bunch of those medical records, so running my computer from my phone’s hotspot seemed iffy.

A nice lady from the phone company assured me the technicians were working “night and day” on the issue and that the lack of an essential chip was the problem. You know about the chip shortage, right? Try to buy a new car and you will hear about it. I don’t know what Covid has to do with a lack of computer chips, but evidently they come from the same factory that made toilet paper in 2020.

In the moment, our lack of reliable Internet felt like the one thing I could yell about. I’ve been extremely patient with staying home alone. I’ve masked and measured my distance at the grocery store. I’ve missed events with grandchildren and lunches with my mother, and I’ve been jabbed twice at the Health Department. But not being able to log onto Amazon Prime might put me over the edge!

Fortunately, the Holy Spirit helped me.

Just as I was about to say some very unkind words, He prompted me. I remembered being the lady on the other end of the phone. Many times. And I knew this particular lady could do nothing about a shortage of computer chips or the shortage of patience on my part.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I know you only answer the phone. You can’t really fix my problem. Thanks for taking my call.”

She laughed. I hoped she could hear me smile. And we both went on about our days.

It was a good lesson learned. In the chaos of life, Dear Reader, let’s remember to be kind to the lady on the other end of the phone. She’s doing her best. We all are.