Bladine: Little bit of serenity can go a long way
Dear Santa,
This year, please give me that present first summoned in 1932 by Lutheran theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Meanwhile, on a less grand scale, I’m practicing my six-word mantra when talking to people about obstacles I may face with their companies or organizations: “Serenity now; it’s not their fault.”
That mindset came in handy this week when I learned that an order picked up from a large local store was missing one package. Initial efforts to locate the missing piece produced information to contact the store’s regional supply center.
Both packages were delivered, I was told, so the local store had to reconcile the problem. My first two local phone calls ended in disconnects, each after 10-15 minutes of wait time. Undeterred, and with self-induced serenity, I persevered.
After 10 more minutes, my third call reached an “associate.” She listened, put me on hold for another 10 minutes, and returned to say the package could not be found. I would have to talk with a manager, she said, and I said to myself, “Serenity now; it’s not her fault.”
As if to reward my indulgence, a manager arrived to the phone within a few minutes. He took down all the information, put me back on hold, and returned with a thesis about what had happened and a plan to handle the situation.
“I hope I don’t have to call back in,” I said in my best-humor voice, “your phone system is pretty slammed up.”
“Yes,” he said, clearly thankful for my lenient approach, “it’s a combination of being understaffed and being at a real busy time of year. We’ll get back to you.” I hung up, knowing my little problem would be solved, and feeling strangely peaceful instead of annoyed about the whole experience.
I suppose there’s a simple lesson here: If you are aggravated going into a conversation with someone connected to that aggravation, say to yourself, “Serenity now; it’s not their fault.” Better yet, tell them at some point, “I know this isn’t your fault, but I hope you can help.”
Turns out, that tactic can be more than just a small gift to the person handling your complaint; it can be a nice gift to yourself, not to mention some atonement for times when you, like myself, weren’t always so tolerant.
Happy holidays, Santa.
Jeb Bladine can be reached at jbladine@newsregister.com or 503-687-1223.
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