You know, there are so many things that I wanted to write about today. I thought I would share some dinner party ideas since my honey-do and I are throwing a small dinner party tomorrow evening. Then I thought about the wedding dress drama that I enjoyed on “Grey’s Anatomy” last night. Quite funny.
But, I received my Friday Focus from Carrie and Danielle today and I must give them a “virtual shout out.” As my girl, Tam, says, “sometimes the Friday Focus can be practical and sometimes it hits you right at home.” I would say that today’s focus titled, “8 Simple Ways to Be Civilized and Kind,” hit me right at home.
As I mentioned, I am planning a small dinner party for tomorrow. Because I am trying to plan more green events, I am on the hunt for a locally-grown, free range chicken. I didn’t know where to go in my own community, so I started with my local grocery store. This is how the conversation went . . .
Me: “Excuse me.”
Deli Cashier (no eye contact): “One minute.”
Me (one minute later): “Excuse me.”
Deli Cashier (still no eye contact): “Yes.”
Me: I am interested in purchasing a locally-grown, free-range chicken. Do you have any available?
Deli Cashier (finally, some eye contact – a little squint, but I will take it!): A what?
Me: A free-range chicken. It’s a chicken that is permitted to roam without being fenced in.
Deli Cashier: No, we don’t sell that here.
Me: Do you know where I might be able to purchase one?
Unfortunately, I didn’t get an answer because the deli cashier walked away. I guess he assumed that our conversation was over when he told me that they didn’t sell free range chickens. Oy!
It would be so easy to chock the cashier’s behavior up to “poor customer service.” Heck, I probably should have gone to the butcher instead of the deli cashier anyhow. But, it wasn’t poor customer service that got me going, it was his behavior. I thought it was disrespectful and uncivilized.
So, I spent a little time thinking of my behavior, and I am ashamed to admit that I have broken one of the “un-civilized” commandments mentioned on the Friday Focus – The one that tells you to show a little kindness to a telemarketer. It says that you should “Try to resist the burning urge to be horribly rude.” Well, I can say that wasn’t “horribly rude,” but I didn’t show any manners either. And, you know what? I definitely didn’t consider that this is someone is trying to make a living. I should be ashamed of myself.
Not only will I will remember this incident the next time that I get a dinner time call about a survey, I will think of how I felt when the cashier walked away from me before we were finished talking about my chicken. It was pretty close to the same type of behavior.
Carrie and Danielle recommend that you “adopt one new way of being civilized and kind.” You never know what your kindness could do to our world. I am definitely going to give it a try. Who knows, maybe that telemarketer will help me find that chicken.
Love & Soul Always, Kay
