I hate to break this to you, but you are NOT #1 on anyone’s to-do list.
Except maybe your dog’s.
We’re about to enter the third year with COVID in the headlines. We’re stressed. We’re all in such a hurry. We need to get things done right now. And we need other people to jump when we ask for something. Makes me wonder how often my “ask” comes across as a demand.
It reminds me of the day we had powerful storms with lightning like I’ve seldom seen. My husband got home from work and walked in the house. “I smell smoke,” he said.
(I hadn’t noticed it because I was preparing a 5-star meal in the kitchen. 🙂 )
He was right. Lightning had struck a wire on our fence and come into the back of the house. There was a lot of smoke.
We got the dogs and moved the cars to the street. I called 911. The dispatcher told me she’d send help. That was at 6:10 p.m. The fire station is a mile from our house.
We sat in the car and anticipated lights and sirens appearing at any moment. Around 6:30, no one had showed up. I called 911 again.
This time the dispatcher asked if anyone was injured. No. We were rattled and concerned, but physically we were fine. The dogs were sleeping. The dispatcher said she’d send help.
At about 6:45, we were wondering what was up when the fire department sent a rescue truck to us. The two EMTs saw we were OK. They said help was on the way.
A short while later, a fire truck appeared, lights and sirens on. Three firefighters grabbed their gear and headed into the house. They found the source of the smoke and dealt with it.
Those three guys were awesome. They explained what happened and next steps. They told us to stay out of the house until we had an electrician check everything out.
And they apologized to us for taking so long to arrive. It turns out six houses in our neighborhood were struck by lightning. Three of them involved major fires. Priority goes to those with flames, the professionals told us. The other three homes, including ours, were just smoke.
We weren’t No. 1 on the fire department’s to-do list. Nor should we have been.
How often do you demand for your problem to be handled right this very minute? Even if we don’t intend it, our “ask” comes across as a demand for the person on the receiving end.
Who knows what’s going on in that person’s world.
The next time you demand to be at the front of the line, remember our firefighters. Don’t be a jerk. Chill.
Unless someone’s bleeding or dying. Then call 911.
© Pamela A. Scott, MentorLoft.com 2022