When was the last time you were the jerk?

When was the last time you realized that you were the complete jerk in a situation? And how/when did you discover it?

This afternoon, I walked to the ATM near my work because I needed cash to pay the babysitter when I got home. I also needed air and I had a few minutes before a meeting. When I walked into the single-ATM lobby, there was a man in the middle of a transaction and there were two other people waiting to use it. The man typed away for what seemed like 10 minutes. It sounded like he was typing a novel. I suppose my frustration and impatience might have showed.

When he was finally done, the next person in line started typing away. Transaction after transaction, and I realized that I might just have to leave without my cash because my meeting was quickly approaching. The whole thing was unbearable, and I might have sighed and held my head to keep from screaming.

When she was done, the man next in line looked at me and told me that I could go first. Ouch. It was then that I realized that I was the asshole who was pissing and moaning about having to wait a few extra minutes while people managed their transactions. He had to witness my passive aggressive temper tantrum. His reaction? To let me go. It was such a generous thing to do, and it served to bring some awareness to my reaction to such a minor first world problem. It also brightened my mood to have someone make a kind gesture like that.

Are you ever the jerk?