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_{by Trent - from March 2005}

I was out of town at a training, and running a bit behind. But if everything went well, I could roll out of Kinko's having sent an important fax before class started. .... If everything went well, that is.

Ever notice the Kinko's clerks? They never notice you. It is worse when you are in a hurry, because they just stand there trying to look busy.

So, I am behind the counter, trying to burn holes in the backs of their heads with a "please me if you can" angry-customer stare, while everyone is ignoring me. The only person that notices me is the cashier, who won't lift a finger to help me, because she can't leave her general area near the register. Finally, a dude notices me and then takes his time finishing whatever meaningless task he was doing to look busy before slowly walking over to the counter.

"Yes, you can help me." I urgently reply, "I emailed two pages to be printed, and confirmed that they would be ready to pick up this morning?" Without trying to even look like he gave a darn, he started to look around and scratch his head, then mumbled something before disappearing into one of the back offices. That is when I see it, right behind the counter ... the two pages that I emailed.

So, I pick up the pages and start waving them over my head, intensifying my angry-customer stare. But, I can't stare at him when he is behind the wall in the back office, I am just hoping that he is looking out of the tinted glass. Finally, he re-emerges to actually retard his normally sluggish pace while walking to the counter. I describe the fact that I found the prints, and giving up on sending the fax .. I request to pay. The clerk-o-the-month, scribbles something on a sheet of paper and says to take it to the cashier. "Oh, that is great!" I think to myself "... another line!"

The cashier seemed to be the only person to care, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt and explained that I called for a quote when I sent the order, and the total that was quoted to me was $0.25 ... thinking that the information might make her job easier, with the relief that at least I had part of what I came for.

"ten-sixty-six," the cashier mumbled.

Immediately time stood still as I pondered a thousand different possible meanings of the words coming from this nice young woman's mouth. Is it a code? Is she trying to tell me something important or making conversation, I actually had no idea, and thought that I misunderstood.

"ten cents?" I asked.

"ten-sixty-six." she nodded.

What does this mean? Is this a riddle? The quote was for 25 cents and she is not saying that the total is ten cents, so what could she be trying to tell me? To clear up the ambiguity, I asked the following question without really thinking about it: "Do you mean $10 and 66 cents?"

Unfolding in slow motion as my temperature immediately went through the roof, "Yes, ten-sixty-six."

AGHAHHGHAGH!!!

I let her have it, she relented, and I threw the receipt at her head. (Well, actually I didn't do throw it, but I wanted to.)

There I am, flushed with emotion, as I speed off ... late to training class. ... and I still haven't sent my fax.

Here is my prayer as I am am undone, "Lord, I can't even handle a trip to Kinko's, I can't even handle loosing a buck or two without loosing my composure. I am weak and I should have realized that when I woke up instead of two hours later. If I only would have prayed this before, but I pray it now: with my hand over my heart - Lord, you are welcome in my heart today, I want my wants to be your wants, because today is too great of a day for a man, it calls for divinity. Lord, I am out of love, you come be my love today. I am out of peace, you come and give me your peace." And with that I re-gained some of my peace. The rest of it returned when I went back and apologized for being a jerk.