You Gotta Serve Somebody...

A word or two about manners...

I read the article about the JetBlue flight attendant that took matters into his own hands when a rude passenger nailed him with some luggage and failed to apologize. He took the mic, had a rant, grabbed a brew and took the emergency exit outta there. Oh, I have had days like that.

Of course, now he faces charges and doesn't have a job, but, we all have our breaking point.

I've noticed a trend here in Lawrence, I guess because the students are back. The thing that chaps my hide is people talking on their cell phones will they are being waited on. By continuing their worthless conversation with their buddy about what was said the night before by so and so, and just basically ignoring the wait staff that are checking them out or taking their order or, serving them their food, I am just kind of stunned. The 'mom' in me wants to grab their cell phone, throw it on the ground, stomp on it and grab their face in my hands and tell them

"Now, apologize to this nice person! You are so amazingly rude! You are grounded!"

That's what I want to do, but, instead, I make loud sigh noises and grit my teeth. And, sometimes, when the rude person has left, I chat up the wait staff and talk about how rude the person was.

I think everyone needs to work in a service-related job. Everyone. And, I mean everyone. It makes no difference who you are, you need to, as Bob Dylan said, 'Serve Somebody' (those are the lyrics, right?)

I was watching tonight at Walmart, one of my least favorite places to be (ever notice there is always a child screaming like they are in agony, all of the time?) as checkers waited on the lines of us that had to have even more shit to buy. I imagined the checkers standing on that hard, concrete floor and their feet throbbing. It is hot in Walmart. And, it is noisy and it is uncomfortable. And, by golly, they hang in there, waiting on us, bagging up our shit and putting it in our cart. And, the chickie behind me was being very animated while she chatted with someone on the phone, and just kind of motioned for the checker to do this, not that, etc. etc. By her ring, her very nice cell phone and her pedicured feet, I could tell this woman probably never, ever stood on a concrete floor for 8 hours and bagged people's shit. If only...

I rarely have someone wait on me who isn't at least a little polite. I am really lucky, in that all of my cleaning clients treat me with respect and dignity. They know I am cleaning their toilets and dirty floors and vacuuming up mounds of dog hair, and they appreciate it. I am very lucky.

But, I make a point of course of getting to know my clients, and vice versa. They see me as a person, not a faceless servant hired to clean their crud. I am a person. And, I am treated as such.

Although, when we did the apartments, I sure felt like a nobody. I think alot of these kids are used to being waited on and, a middle-aged mama walking on all 4's in their filthy bathroom means very little to them.

I am pretty certain, though, that Sam and Georgia will always appreciate people in the service industry. I raised them right. And, they know that, if necessary, a job in the service industry is just fine and helps pay the bills.

And, another thing.... one of my barometers of coolness for me to decide if I want a particular person to be included in my circle of friends is, you guess it, how they treat wait staff! Pleases and thank you's and excuse me's are appreciated. Good tippers are, too. As a former waitress, many years ago, I know how those tips are what keep the lights on in someone's home. I remember my husband, Gordon coming home from delivering pizza and 'tip money' was used to buy diapers and formula. So, you can call that pathetic, or whatever, but, it's real.

So, put that in your pipe and smoke it!

And, I will close tonight with a shout out to my vacuum, my trusty Dyson. This vacuum worked its little yellow rear off today. Four canisters of pet hair! Four! And, it kept on going. I am going to write a fan letter to Mr. Dyson and tell him that this vacuum has outlasted all other vacuums. And, it still stands tall.

Till tomorrow!