When you least expect it

I get along with most people on a surface level, even those whose flaky nature or ADD cause me to avoid delving deeper. There are a few of those types here--perfectly nice and likable characters who just happen to be flaky or have the attention span of a gnat or try to be cute when I'm sooo not in the mood for cute. You know the type. I'm not outwardly mean to them on a regular basis, but I tend to be short with them or brusque.

Today, I had a huge project to undertake that involved lots of heavy lifting, tedious counting, consolidating, rearranging and restocking in the storage room. There are four of us who use that storage room and I sent an email yesterday asking for help, especially from the people who use it on a regular basis since they should have a say in how the stock gets arranged. Three of the four people who came to help me fit the aforementioned category of co-workers. These are ladies to whom I know I have been a complete bitch in the past. The fourth helper was a guy with whom I have a friendly relationship and who always helps, no matter what.

So, now I feel like an ass and a total bitch for having been mean to them in the past and for not giving them a chance just because they may have caught me on a bad day. These ladies kicked ass today and really gave it their all. I couldn't have done it without them. I have a whole new respect for them and shall heretofore kick myself the next time I judge someone based on surface levels. After all, I am much more than I project at work; why wouldn't they be too.