So... today was a little embarassing. I had to cancel my lifecoaching because my social battery was drained from a graduation I was forced to go to and didn't want to go to. My ankle was in extreme pain. I went to pick up lunch earlier for my mom, who was working and got hurt herself. I went into a restaurant and went to pick up the meal. I had never picked up a to-go meal and the restaurant is not laid out like a typical restaurant. I go in, and wait for a server. She starts walking towards me and yells across the very large room (think like banquet hall kind of size) if I am picking up. I nodded my head yes. She waved her hand and at first I disn't know what was happening because she started to walk away with her back towards me. I slowly walked back to where she was, half expecting to be yelled at because I was not going to the right place or something. I got to the counter where their kitchen is and the lady pulls out the bag with the food and hands it to me. I take out my wallet, literally shaking really badly, and then she tells me my total. I froze and couldn't verbalize anything. I forgot my AAC app on my phone existed, so didn't use that. I put my card in the machine and nothing happened. By this time, the lady had walked off and I didn't know what to do. I stood there, looking over in the lady's direction and finally she came up and apologized and said she forgot to hit a button on her side. I paid for the food, she handed me the receipt, and I went to put the tip down. It was a little under $45 and my mom had told me to just round the tip up to the nearest amount. I put the tip down and put a $45 tip. I started shaking and just scribbled it out with the pen and put the total as $45 and did some quick maths for the tip (math is not the issue I was just already petrified so I couldn't even hardly think because I had like 10 different conversations going on in my head, with myself). I then went next door, limping and shaking which made my limp worse. There were like 2 people waiting on their drinks (it is a boba shop) and I asked the lady if she could help me when she got done. It more or less came out like "Ma'am, can you help me with something when you get done with that, the menu?" I was so embarrassed. When the lady got done she came over and asked what she could help with. My voice suddenly got very quiet, and I couldn't increase the volume. She leaned closer to me. I told her that I can't have sucrose and I was just wondering if they had a nutrition label because I can't have any sugar or certain types of fruits. The lady comes back with some pictures of their different types of syrup and they all have sugar in them. I ask her if she knows of anything that doesn't have sugar but it can still be sweetened with lactose, fructose, and stuff like that but not sucrose. She tells me to wait a minute and she would ask her manager. (The manager there is the shop owner and is really good with dietary information.) In the mean time, I am just noticing that I am saying sorry after everything I am saying/asking. She comes back and suggest something with certain substitutions. I told her whatever she thought would be good was fine with me. She enters in what she is ordering for me and I tell her my mom's order. I instinctively select no tip after ordering because at that place I typically order on my own at their kiosk (first time going there on my new diet). I then notice what I did and quickly switch to a 15% tip (they had 15, 30, and 35% tips). I then say sorry and the lady looks at me confused. I have never seen that lady and I said "Oh sorry, nevermind." I then waited, sitting on a chair, and they only have tall chairs. My face is as close to my knees as I can get it, and I am absolutely shaking, embarrassed, and petrified. The lady says that my order is ready and I go to pick it up and she asks if I need a bag. Instinctively, I tell her no, and then realize, as I am struggling to get the door open, I should've said yes and gotten a bag. However, at this point I want to hurry up and get to the car. I my haste, I trip over the curb and those concrete pyramid thingies that keep you from running into the curb in parking lots. My ankle was really hurting and I hurry up, put the food and drinks in the car then run around to the driver side and quickly drive out of there. There were people giving me looks and I was thinking that they were thinking I just stole something or just got away with a big heist or something. I now realize that was stupid and they were probably just looking because I was parked in the handicap spot (handicap license plate) and am half limping/running and speeding off. I get home and forget to pick up the package my mom originally sent me out for and have to go back and pick it up, once I am already in the gate of the complex. Also, not to mention my neck and back hurting from both the uncomfortable folding chairs we were in, on a concrete floor in a stadium used for RODEOS and concerts, and also the tons of regalia I had on (4 stoles, 1 backwards stole thingy, 5-6 cords, 3 medals, 3 tassels on my cap and one tassel had a medal, etc.) Sorry for my long rant but I am just looking for tips/advice on future situations like this because I am having another graduation in two weeks, followed by a dress rehearsal for dance from 9am-9pm the next day, and the next day is recital. I fully expect to be in shutdown/meltdown mode and have my social battery literally go non-existant for a while. I tend to not go into meltdown and only shutdown, but when I am REALLY stressed and overwhelmed and can't be alone I sometimes go into meltdown. Also, to clarify: this graduation and recital I really want to go to. It was yesterday's graduation I did not want to go to because it is 2x as long and with around 1000+ people where as this next graduation is only 82 graduates. I also love dance and can't wait for my recital.

Posted by Annoymous1 at 2024-05-18 03:15:31 UTC