I am trying to be more organized. Every year that is one of my resolutions, but I tend to make it a monthly one. My desk always starts out clean. My piles of paper are somewhat organized. Things are where they are supposed to be. And then something happens. I suspect it may be little green men in the middle of the night. The piles are strewn from one side of the desk to the other. My calculator is missing. Where the hell are my scissors?????
This Christmas, I decided to truly make an effort. I figured the extra week in between Thanksgiving and December 1 was a gift.
I shopped online, I watched the sales, I took advantage of my Borders & Best Buy frequent buyers program discounts, I got free shipping. I designed my own Christmas cards (it’s a sickness, I know); not only my personal ones, but business ones as well. I managed to get the correct sizes, the perfect wording, the perfect pictures, and the perfect look I was going for. I uploaded them to Winkflash (who I have done business with for 4 years). All of this was completed by December 3rd.
My December this year was going to be different, and not crazed. (Other than when you hear that bell ringing and ringing and ringing outside of the grocery store and you just want to strangle those people with the bucket and the bell from the Salvation Army. Oops. Did I say that out loud?)
By the second week of December I kept checking the status of my order from Winkflash. It said the same thing: PRINTING. Poor dears, I thought, they are swamped but will get to it. I sent them a friendly reminder email. After a few days and no response, I sent them another email, this one matter-of-fact and to the point. I finally called them on Saturday, December 16. I was assured that they would be shipped out on Monday. On Tuesday, the printing status had not changed. I sent another email – this one not so friendly. I also called again. I was told that the cards had been completed on December 8th, but they didn’t know why they hadn’t been shipped out. He gave me “managements” email. They would return my email within 24 hours. I sent a copy of my previous emails along with a “what-the-hell-is-going-on” email to management. The next day I called and was told by a different person that my order had been printed, there was a problem with it, they were going to reprint it and that there was no way possible I was going to even receive them by Christmas.
I lost my mind. My perfect plan to be organized and stressless and cool as a cucumber had gone to shit. I wanted to scream at the lady:
“BUT I HAD CANCER!”
Yes, it was 5 years ago. But still, I had cancer. And why, you ask, would I even care that she knows?
People treated me differently when I had cancer and was bald from the chemo. I didn’t wait in doctor’s offices (might have had to do with the fact that I was ready to burst out in tears at a moment’s notice); I got seated at restaurants right away (even if I couldn’t taste any food); the grocery store clerks were extra nice; people smiled at me when we passed each other on the street.
And now? It IS different. It shouldn’t be. If I had told them I had cancer, I would bet that my order would have been given priority. Why should that matter? It shouldn’t.
The world is a different place when people are just thinking about themselves. People treat you different if they think you are going through something tough. We are all going through something – not just those of us who have had cancer.
Either people need to be nicer to everyone, or meaner to people with cancer.
PS. I don't recommend Winkflash.
PPS. I got my cards done locally and out in the mail!
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