Most people have had a terrible experience like this several times in their lives: they decide to 'let the professional do it' and look forward to a relaxing experience, albeit an expensive one; things start slowing down to a crawl; the professionals don't even communicate with the customer so the delay seems open-ended.
The customer would be patient if they knew it was going go take a certain number more days. But they aren't being told that. The sheer indeterminacy of the project starts driving the customer crazy.
I had that happen to me lately in getting a hitch installed on my new tow vehicle, a van. It was humbling to realize that all of the books I've read in my life didn't seem to help at all. Theology, philosophy, history...what good is any of it!
Instead, I fell back on old adages like, 'A watched pot never boils,' and 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.' So I kept looking for more ways to stay busy.
Here was a real problem in life. And all those books were useless. This is one more reason for me to threaten not reading any books in my next life. (grin)
Was I overlooking something? Maybe there are novelists who wrote about the real frustrations that people have in life, and how some people dealt with those problems successfully. If only such novels were given a special name or category! The readers could find them easily instead of wasting time with novels that are only concerned with sordid love triangles.
Another old adage that I eventually employed successfully: 'The squeaky wheel gets the grease.' When they finally finished my job, my obsession with getting away from those noisy El Paso parking lots simply evaporated. It was more convenient to linger awhile.
This was an echo of a scene in the classic TV western, "The Virginian." The cowboy was wrongfully accused of murder, and despite the sheriff being a friend of his, the sheriff had to hold the cowboy in jail. The cowboy paced around in his jail cell, and made noisy protests.
Soon the sheriff got some evidence that exonerated or cleared the cowboy, so he gave the cowboy the good news that he was free to go. After his brief, initial burst of relief, the cowboy realized that it was night and a long ride back to the ranch.
So the cowboy asked permission to sleep overnight in the jail cell -- the same one he was going crazy in, just a few minutes ago! He looked happy, relaxed, and immediately went to sleep. The sheriff's face showed a wry smile.
The customer would be patient if they knew it was going go take a certain number more days. But they aren't being told that. The sheer indeterminacy of the project starts driving the customer crazy.
I had that happen to me lately in getting a hitch installed on my new tow vehicle, a van. It was humbling to realize that all of the books I've read in my life didn't seem to help at all. Theology, philosophy, history...what good is any of it!
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| from Grammar Zone |
Instead, I fell back on old adages like, 'A watched pot never boils,' and 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.' So I kept looking for more ways to stay busy.
Here was a real problem in life. And all those books were useless. This is one more reason for me to threaten not reading any books in my next life. (grin)
Was I overlooking something? Maybe there are novelists who wrote about the real frustrations that people have in life, and how some people dealt with those problems successfully. If only such novels were given a special name or category! The readers could find them easily instead of wasting time with novels that are only concerned with sordid love triangles.
Another old adage that I eventually employed successfully: 'The squeaky wheel gets the grease.' When they finally finished my job, my obsession with getting away from those noisy El Paso parking lots simply evaporated. It was more convenient to linger awhile.
This was an echo of a scene in the classic TV western, "The Virginian." The cowboy was wrongfully accused of murder, and despite the sheriff being a friend of his, the sheriff had to hold the cowboy in jail. The cowboy paced around in his jail cell, and made noisy protests.
Soon the sheriff got some evidence that exonerated or cleared the cowboy, so he gave the cowboy the good news that he was free to go. After his brief, initial burst of relief, the cowboy realized that it was night and a long ride back to the ranch.
So the cowboy asked permission to sleep overnight in the jail cell -- the same one he was going crazy in, just a few minutes ago! He looked happy, relaxed, and immediately went to sleep. The sheriff's face showed a wry smile.
Comments
Whatever floats your boat.
George