Choosing Laughter

Sometimes all I can really do is laugh. Usually at the worst possible times. This is one of those times.

In September we decided (read I suggested and Jon is wonderful) it was time for new, grown up furniture so we visited a “new” store and ordered two couches and two chairs. It was the 18th.

Two days before scheduled delivery I listed our sectional on marketplace and it was gone that night. AWESOME SAUCE!

Delivery day came 10/8 but only couches, no chairs. They were back-ordered so the company rescheduled them for 10/20.

Ugh. Fine. Whatever… except the night before, on October 19 they called to reschedule them for NOVEMBER 20. Boooo.

So today is the day! November 20! I’ve spent the morning nesting, making room for the chairs that would soon complete our living room. So pumped.

I received a text saying they were 10 minutes away with a tracking link. WOO HOO! The link took me to a page that had a tiny truck on a map of Brighton and a tiny footnote that said “denim couch quantity 2.”

Wait…wuuut?

😳 😂😂😂

The delivery team phoned less than a minute later so I inquired “Please, tell me you have two chairs and not two couches because my couches were delivered last month.”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry ma’am, we have two couches. I’m so sorry. This happens a lot, the warehouse loaded the wrong items.” He gave me the customer service 888 number.

I am on hold now and I really have to at least try to stop laughing because they won’t take me seriously if I don’t. But it’s funny. Also I’m not a yeller, although this would be the time for volume.

Here is how my day could have gone:

Yell at Ibrahim, the delivery driver who was super courteous when he called? No. I told him not to worry that I would call the number and sort it out. I wished him a beautiful weekend and a blessed Thanksgiving. I told him to stay safe and well. He thanked me and wished me the same.

Yell at our salesman, Mike? No but I did call him because as a veteran of the furniture store that recently folded and thus a new employee of the new company, he wanted an update about delivery issues. I made it ok for us to laugh together. He said our situation makes him professionally embarrassed I didn’t even know you could make a profession out of that!

He thanked me for making him laugh and said he would discuss us with his regional manager and call me back later today. I believe he will call back because I didn’t rip his head off so calling me back won’t be unpleasant for him.

He told me that he had just walked in the door and was going to need more coffee or maybe cocaine. Because I’m super helpful, I suggested that cocaine dissolves nicely in coffee. I’ve heard.

Yell at the customer service rep? No, I’m pretty sure I’ll pass on that, too. I’m writing this while on hold, now at the 35 minute mark. Yes, it’s tedious. Yes, there are many other things I could, should, would rather be doing. I’m still not going to muck up another person’s day just because I’m inconvenienced. Nope.

Cynthia, the customer service rep who just answered, was also delightful. Embarrassed and apologetic but delightful. I could hear a small child making all kinds of noise in the background. I thought about how many calls Cynthia must take each day, in what sounds like her home. How many times a day is some stranger yelling at her?

People seldom call customer service with praise. They call her when they’re dealing with a problem with her company. She has to listen to that all day, with at least one little kid running around. God bless her. That is one heck of a load.

She definitely does not need to have me yell at her, too. I don’t care if it’s her job. She deserves kindness. Everyone does.

There is so much anger in the world and I won’t add to it. It would mess up everyone in my path. There are three people that I could have hollered at and taken my frustration out on. No. I made a decision to put out what I want to receive. Just like my mom always reminded: Do unto others…

Please don’t consider this virtue signaling and don’t gag at the “sweetness” because I can be and often am just as much of an asshole as the next person. I can be cranky, real cranky. I am quite often angry. I have bad breath when I wake up in the morning, too.

I’m tired of evil. Aren’t we all just so tired of the anger, the unkind things people are saying and doing to one another?

There is just so much evil. I pray and I pray and I pray. I have to do more. I am aware that I can’t control any of the things that are happening in the world. I can only control my own self.

I’m writing this to suggest that we ALLLL look for ways to lighten the anger load in the world. Just be effing kind. We will NEED each other more than ever very soon.

Kindness, humor and patience win. I feel like at least one little part of today is a win.