I’ve been having such a hard time writing lately, but not because I am without excuse. Having a daughter and a grandson visiting eats up my time, and I’d really have it no other way. I’m with my brother here — grandchildren are a real hoot. There’s nothing better than seeing that pudgy little 5-month-old face light up when you walk into the room. The hardest part of it all, though, is wondering how the heck that little girl of mine is walking around with a baby of her own now.
Anyway, I want to get something in the books to get me rolling this week. I’ve got plenty to say, but not enough time to give it due diligence, so “Wednesday Random” it is again.
I’ve got a pet peeve going lately. It runs something like this: I’m kind of a stickler for customer service. I try to answer everything I can as quickly as possible. If someone wants to test, I schedule it immediately. If someone needs a form signed, I’m on it. If your language pay is messed up somehow, I get to the bottom of it. I’m getting pretty good at reading the history of things and I get the job done.
Now, why do I do all this? Well, a couple of reasons. One is that I know myself, and I know that if I don’t jump on something right away, I could very well forget about it. This is also why I ask people to send me emails asking for the thing about which they were just chatting with me on the phone: it gives me a record and a starting point. But the most important reason I jump on things quickly is because it’s just not that hard to take care of someone’s business for them, and that’s the way I’d want it too if I was on the other side of it all.
In my job, I send out requests on occasion. I need information. I need to know if someone’s available for training, or testing, or signing a document. And there are some people for whom it’s like pulling teeth to get an answer. Repeated requests. Emails, phone calls, personal conversations. They don’t seem to work. Run into them somewhere — “Hey, do you have that form I’ve asked you about three times now?” “Oh yeah, I forgot.” “Well get on it and get it to me.” Two weeks later…nothing. I never enjoy rolling in their boss on it all, but sometimes it’s the only thing that gets results.
So here’s the peeve: When that Airman who can never seem to get me what I need runs into a problem with his pay, he can’t sign forms fast enough. He’s on the phone. He’s sending emails. He’s getting to the bottom of it like a pro. But he can never do it if it isn’t for himself, and this tells me what kind of person with which I’m dealing. If only more people would “do for others what they would have others do for them.” But no. It’s more like, “I’m gonna get mine,” and that’s about the lot of it. When it comes time to serve someone else, it’s back to the old disappearing act.
The world has far too many people like this…
I wish I could get moving on my reading again. I just mentioned last week starting House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday, and here I am a whole 10 pages in or so. And it seems pretty good so far. I suppose it’s just that my priorities are off. If I really wanted to get through it, I’d be reading it right now. Or at least picking it up and doing a few pages before bed. But it’s so much easier to start up a show on Netflix. I mean, hey, I deserve a break, right? But what of the quality of the life I’m producing for myself in acting this way? Reading has been so enriching over my lifetime, and especially lately. But here I am, slowing down. This is a case where powering through is probably the best answer. It really is just a matter of resolve.
Not much in the way of music lately, but a song did suddenly come to mind today. Unfortunately, I can’t remember it now, but I know it was from the Talking Heads album/concert movie Stop Making Sense, and that got me looking around. So I found my favorite song from that movie, and although I’ve written about it here before — three years ago — I think it’s well worth revisiting. I hope you enjoy it.
Hope to see you tomorrow…