I part-time work at a small tax office in Colorado, and while we do get our share of grumpy, annoyed clients, there are also a number of them that accept that what we do is a necessary evil, and decide not to take it out on us (which is very, very appreciated!). Every now and then, though, someone will come in with such a unique attitude that they really merit comment.
Recently, a woman came in to pick up her personal and business taxes. Our office is laid out a bit awkwardly: customers have to come all the way to the front desk in order to see if I or my co-worker (who is really the front-line of the company, not me!) are at our desks and able to help them. Today, we heard the bell on the door ring, but before either my co-worker (whom we'll call Mary for the sake of this story) or I could look around the partition, the customer had already come over and was smiling at us. She told Mary why she was there, and they started chatting as Mary got her paperwork together. When they got to the point where we recommend the client checks their routing number for direct deposit of a refund, she mentioned she was going through a divorce, and asked if she should do that, or wait for a paper check.
Naturally, we don't like to pry into people's personal lives, but in this particular circumstance, Mary asked if everything was ok. The lady responded that no, it was kind of messy, as she'd been married to this guy for 30 years, and had worked that entire time as an unpaid secretary at their business. She said she was a little scared, because she'd married young, she didn't really know where to go from that point, and wasn't sure if she could put 30 years of unpaid work on a resumé, especially as the person they'd call to verify her "employment" would be her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Yikes. Despite all of this, however, she never stopped being upbeat about things, treated Mary very well- even when the fees for her returns were a bit higher than she'd expected- and heartily wished us both a good day and fantastic weekend on her way out the door.
That, without a doubt, is the kind of person I wish I could be. Yeah, life throws you curveballs, but getting worked up and stressed out about them really doesn't accomplish anything other than raising your blood pressure. Logically, I know that, but every so often something just hits me wrong, or all the little things pile up, and I lose it. I've gotten to the point where I can just walk away and take a break from things instead of taking it out on other people, but I really wish I could be one of those people who, well, don't lose it. If they exist.
Since I can't however, I'll just keep doing the best I can do, and trying to get better. But if you see me gazing wistfully at those glass-is-always-half-full types, that's why; that's my goal. Cheers!
Recently, a woman came in to pick up her personal and business taxes. Our office is laid out a bit awkwardly: customers have to come all the way to the front desk in order to see if I or my co-worker (who is really the front-line of the company, not me!) are at our desks and able to help them. Today, we heard the bell on the door ring, but before either my co-worker (whom we'll call Mary for the sake of this story) or I could look around the partition, the customer had already come over and was smiling at us. She told Mary why she was there, and they started chatting as Mary got her paperwork together. When they got to the point where we recommend the client checks their routing number for direct deposit of a refund, she mentioned she was going through a divorce, and asked if she should do that, or wait for a paper check.
Naturally, we don't like to pry into people's personal lives, but in this particular circumstance, Mary asked if everything was ok. The lady responded that no, it was kind of messy, as she'd been married to this guy for 30 years, and had worked that entire time as an unpaid secretary at their business. She said she was a little scared, because she'd married young, she didn't really know where to go from that point, and wasn't sure if she could put 30 years of unpaid work on a resumé, especially as the person they'd call to verify her "employment" would be her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Yikes. Despite all of this, however, she never stopped being upbeat about things, treated Mary very well- even when the fees for her returns were a bit higher than she'd expected- and heartily wished us both a good day and fantastic weekend on her way out the door.
That, without a doubt, is the kind of person I wish I could be. Yeah, life throws you curveballs, but getting worked up and stressed out about them really doesn't accomplish anything other than raising your blood pressure. Logically, I know that, but every so often something just hits me wrong, or all the little things pile up, and I lose it. I've gotten to the point where I can just walk away and take a break from things instead of taking it out on other people, but I really wish I could be one of those people who, well, don't lose it. If they exist.
Since I can't however, I'll just keep doing the best I can do, and trying to get better. But if you see me gazing wistfully at those glass-is-always-half-full types, that's why; that's my goal. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment