Today, my mom came home looking extremely tired and sweaty, declaring that she needed ice cream at that instant. A freezer check reminded her that unfortunately, she had eaten up all of the Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream last night.

"Regina, we are going to get ice cream."


Okay. I'm cool with that.

So we went to the grocery store, and everything was great! We got ice cream, and went to pay for it. In front of us, was an old lady who was trying to open her grocery bag (but couldn't because it had no grip).  After about 30 seconds, I decided that maybe she needed help.

"Would you like me to help you?"



Silence.


"Ma'am, would you like me to help you?"


Then she gave me the steeliest glare with her foggy eyes and said: "Not. At. All."

So I left her alone and proceeded to bag my own groceries, saying to myself, "don't take it personally," but I kind of felt like I was slapped in the face.

However, my point is that we're sometimes too proud to let others help us. I wasn't suggesting that she was old and feeble, although she may have taken it that way; I was merely offering my assistance if she needed it. I was, to be honest, a little stunned to receive that kind of reaction, but I digress. I sometimes have this problem of not letting others help me as well, and I've started to realize over the past 6 months or so that it's okay to admit that sometimes teamwork is better than working on projects alone.

So, was I a little miffed that I was treated so rudely?

Yes.

Will I stop offering my assistance?

Not. At. All.

Have you ever had this kind of experience? How did/would you deal with it?