I’ve done all sorts of things I haven’t written about. Today I’m going to finally blog and discuss none of them. Instead, I’ll talk about three interactions I had today going to and from the laundry room.
My building is built oddly, when you take the elevator to the lobby you have to climb several steps to get to ground level, whether inside or outside the building. That includes getting to the laundry room. I used the elevator to bring my shopping cart laundry to the lobby. When I got off the elevator, I saw there was a couple waiting to be let into the building. I left my cart and opened the door for them, a matter of taking a few steps. When I got to the stairs the gentleman picked up the back of my cart and helped me, so I didn’t have to drag it up. That was a lot more work than what I did. I of course thanked him. He said, “you help me, I help you, that’s the way the world works.” He was 100% right. Notice it wasn’t that he helped me because I helped him, he was just doing the right thing as I did.
While I was loading the washing machines a woman came in to take her clothes out of the drier. She timed it very well. One drier just finished and the other finished a few minutes before. I commented on how well she timed things. That got us talking about how screwed up the timing on the washing machines is. There was a 14-minute difference in cycle time between the fastest and slowest machine. I realized that the fast machine was skipping the pre-wash. She then complained about how bad the driers were, that her husband had just emptied the lint bin which had been filthy. The building management is supposed to do it, but they didn’t. Her husband didn’t just complain, he did something about it and helped everyone out. I told her to thank him for me. He’s a mensch.
After I put my clothes in the drier, I encountered a woman smoking in the lobby on her way out of the building. When I went down the first time the hallway reeked of cigarette smoke. That happens too often. I politely said, “Please don’t smoke in the building.” Her reply was, “Please don’t tell the wrong person what to do; I’ve been here longer than you have.” What is that supposed to mean? Does she think that there’s a seniority system, that the longer you’ve lived in the building the more power you have over your fellow tenants? All I said was, “What’s that have to do with anything?” She kept walking and that was the end of it.
What’s the point of me telling these little stories? It’s that the first two interactions were good, with nice people. I did not write about them. The only thing that prompted me to write was my encounter with the rude, illogical smoker. That’s the way of the world. It’s how most of us react. It’s how the news media reacts. The problem is that it gives you an unbalanced view of the world. It makes things seem far worse than they are. That realization gave me a much better motive for writing.
I have a gentle suggestion for My Gentle Readers. Do the same, don’t just post the bad. When it comes to politics, don’t always post things to make like-minded people angry. Everyone being angry makes the world worse. I see so many posts that have no content other than, “I hate _____ and you should too.” I see this not just among the people I disagree with but those I agree with too. Post about the importance of the things you believe in. Don’t presume that everyone that disagrees has the same base motives and that you know “their real reasons.” It’s about making the world a better place, not about feeling like your side won.
Wise Madness 