Been to the post office lately?
I have. Yesterday, in fact. I had 3 packages to ship out-of-state, and I decided to do it the old-fashioned way: at the post office.
Thinking I was sly, I selected a small neighborhood retail station that I figured would be quick. (Or as quick as you can expect on December 14th!) I knew not to arrive at opening – there would be a mob of folks hitting the station before work. And I knew not to go around lunchtime, either. Target: 10:15AM.
When I arrived, there were only 15 people in line ahead of me. Not too bad, right? The way the line curved, it was difficult to see to the counter area, but I could hear a well-natured, high-energy postal employee chatting it up. So I figured I was in the right place.
Fifteen minutes later, I had moved about two feet in line. But it was far enough to see the counter area. And Mr. High-Energy. Despite the three cashier stations at the counter, his was the only one open!
I was frustrated. That little voice in my head chastisted me (don’t act like you don’t have one, too):
“Great idea, coming here! What were you thinking! Why did you choose this post office? Why didn’t you get those packages ready last week?! What made you think mid-morning would be the best arrival time? Why don’t you go to another station? Why not spend the extra money and go to the UPS Store?”
As much as I don’t like to hear that little voice sometimes, at least it’s in my head. No one else can hear it.
Unfortunately, the other folks in line with me - who I had already determined were retirees, based on earlier conversation - shared their thoughts out loud.
“This is ridiculous! One window open at Christmas? They should staff better.”
“I can’t believe this. How long is this going to take! They make budget cuts and we have to pay for it.”
”They need to open more windows. Don’t they have more workers back there?”
Although I had been willing to deal with a long wait, I wasn’t sure I was willing to deal with a long wait while listening to these people. An internal battle over whether or not to bail ensued. I gritted my teeth & stayed.
In between joking with customers, singing along to piped-in music, and doing the jobs of three people, Mr. High-Energy explained to someone that his other two team members had called in sick for the day. Someone in line commented about how cheery he was, considering the situation.
“Well,” he said. “I can make it a terrible day, or I can make it a great day. Not much sense in the first choice.”
Turns out I was right after all: I was in the right place. With that reminder from Mr. High-Energy, I switched from gritting my teeth to focusing on my to-do list for the day. And there was no more grumbling from the other folks in line, either.
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Great story. I have have instances where I’ve been frustrated by this or that, and when I hear the explanation from the other side then I feel like it was all for nothing. It’s good that Mr. High Energy chose to keep things light given the circumstance.