Customer Responsibility

Yesterday, between meetings, I popped into a shopping mall. My first stop was for a green tea. I sipped and window shopped. Then, my eye was drawn to some spring pretty in one of my favourite shops. I stepped through the doorway and stopped. I asked the two shop attendants at the counter if I could leave my tea on the far edge of their counter while I browsed.

They looked at each other with funny expressions and said, “Of course.” Then one lady added, “And thank you for considering us and our store.”

As many times as I see No Food or Drinks signs on shop doors I see customers walking aisles and looking through racks with a beverage in their hand. If a store has posted No Food or Drinks it probably means they have experienced food or drink accidents.

Accidents happen. There is a time and place for food and drink. Within a store, with goods for sale, is not one of them.

The customer is not always right.

Lost

True confessions – I do not have a sense of direction. I can get lost in a grocery store. I have.

Underground parking garages move my car from one spot to another. I’m sure they do.

If I enter a large block-size department store near ladies accessories then my mantra the entire time I am browsing is ladies accessories so that I will exit on the same street as I entered. If not, I will be lost.

Many years ago, long before the GPS, my sister and brother-in-law gave me this key chain as I set out for a year of European travel and adventure.

I guess they did want me to come back! I used it too. Many times. I would stand in a phone box (remember those?) so as not to look too vulnerable and determine north.

I have been lost in cities and towns all over the world. I am not adverse to asking directions but many times I didn’t speak the language to ask “Where am I and how do I get to the little circle on my map?”

But being lost isn’t always bad. Being cautious and aware of dangers (remember the phone box?) I try to view being lost as an adventure.

• I have found some lovely coffee shops by accident. A perfect place to have a cuppa and to find north.

• I have met some helpful people, some of them also lost. Aha, it’s not just me.

• I have discovered off-the-beaten-track shops. I have lovely memories whenever I wear a particular scarf.

• I have come across some beautiful scenery.

• I have learned that my car makes easy U-turns. That’s a necessity.

• I have learned I am not afraid to say I don’t know where I am.

• I have learned to control the feeling of panic. I may not have a sense of direction but I won’t let that limit me.

Being lost in Paris a few years ago I stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe. The gentleman at the next table saw me rotating my map as I prepared to leave and asked if I needed directions. “Yes, I do” I responded, “but I think I’ll just keep wandering because I was having such a lovely time being lost.” The look he gave me was neither strange nor confused. I knew he understood when he answered, “I hope you get lost gloriously.”

Getting lost is different from not knowing where you’re going. Getting lost can be an adventure. Getting lost can lead to discovery. Getting lost can lead to self awareness. I hope you get lost gloriously.

Lessons From the Birds

Last week I Tweeted about a bidding war between a robin (there has to be a joke in there somewhere) and a little grey bird over this:

It’s a birdhouse for a robin that my father-in-law built for us. It has been in the corner of our deck for several years. Each year a robin has constructed a nest and allowed us to view from our living room the development of the babies.

In my Tweet (I’m still resisting the obvious joke) I said I was betting a case of worms that the robin would win.

• It had squatter rights.
• It was bigger.
• It had defiant body (bird?) language

After a few days of bidding this is what happened:

Yes, I hear your aaaahhhh. What a solution. It works for everyone.

There’s a lesson here for us:

• I may have been here first but I can help you.
• I may be bigger than you but I can help you.
• We may be different colours but that doesn’t matter.
• We can live in harmony.
• You watch my kids while I worm hunt and I’ll watch yours when you worm hunt.
• Double Decker anything (sandwiches, cake, buses, nests) are fun.
• Smile. Here comes the crazy human with the camera again.

Share your thoughts.

Spring. What Does It Mean To You?

Spring has finally arrived I am distracted by daffodil shoots outside my office window. For some reason I feel if I stare at them, count them, encourage them, they will bloom faster. It couldn’t possibly be that I’m avoiding other tasks.!

Spring is a time when many people create new plans and start new projects.

Here’s a previous Spring blog post.

Tell us what spring means to you.

March 28, 2011

For many people January 1^st is the time for reflection and new beginnings.  Diets. Vows to exercise more.  Self promises to be better at ________________(fill in the blank).

I worked with a man who told me he used his annual summer vacation as his time for reflection, planning, and promises of self improvement.

For me, it’s spring.  The world around me is new.  New buds, new shoots, new baby birds, and new energy.  I WILL walk every day.  I WILL eat more kale.  I WILL make those follow-up calls.  I WILL finish War and Peace.

Desire to be or do anything can begin at any time. It doesn’t require a special designation on the calendar. Exercise programs don’t have to begin on a Monday or January 1^st.

Want to learn a new language?  Start now.

Want to eat healthier?  Start now.

Want to write that book? Start now.

Want to become a kinder person?  Start now.

Ready.Set. Plant. The plan to eat more kale.

Share what spring means to you. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Share your goals.  You know that unless it’s written it’s only a dream.

Thoughts In the Grocery Store

Today I went grocery shopping. It’s routine, nothing special.

With my shopping cart half full, and feeling quite proud of myself that I had resisted chocolate covered anything, I was suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling – a feeling of gratitude.

Gratitude because I knew that, within reason, I could buy anything I wanted. I had a confusing variety of products before me and I could purchase any of them. You and I are some of the fortunate ones in the world who can easily take our good fortune for granted.

I feel gratitude to my parents who brought us to a country of opportunity and abundance.

I feel gratitude for being given a love of books which made education a desirable pursuit.

I feel gratitude for all the opportunities I’ve been given.

I feel gratitude for being loved.

I feel gratitude for being able to speak freely.

I feel gratitude for being able to buy more food than I need.

Who would have thought that grocery shopping could be such a humbling experience?

What is on your gratitude list? Please share with us.

Get Out of the Kitchen

Love to entertain? Do you serve your guests five different hot appetizers? Do you mix exotic drinks, rimming the glasses with your special blend? Do you add a swirl of mystery ingredient at the last moment before serving the piping hot soup? Are you carefully watching the souffle so it is presented to a chorus of “aaahhhhs”?

Sounds lovely. May we come to dinner at your house?

But I doubt if we would see much of you. You’ll be trapped in the kitchen. Well, trapped isn’t the right word. You will be willingly trapped in the kitchen. Your choice. Your decision.

By all means have fun with your menu. Serve interesting food. Of course you will have to be in the kitchen some of the time. But ask yourself if you are spending so much time in the kitchen, not to prepare fabulous food, but to avoid interacting with your guests.

Unless it is a formal dinner consider accepting an offer of help in the kitchen. Do you think your friend really likes chopping tomatoes? More likely they wish to spend time with you. If you really don’t like others messing in your kitchen then have a simple task set aside for them to do that won’t interfere with your preparations. Let them fill the pitcher with ice cubes.

You invited these people to your home. They have come to see you. Yes, they expect to eat, but you are the reason they accepted your invitation. Food only aids in socialization. If you’re hiding in the kitchen, yes I said hiding, then you aren’t being a good host. What are you avoiding? Why?

Table For One, Please

Many people cringe when they must respond, “One” to the “How many in your party?” question from the restaurant greeter?

Many avoid the cringe by ordering room service or grabbing take-out.

Dining alone in a restaurant isn’t the first choice of most people. Dining is an experience we like to share. But, eating is a necessity. Enjoying the ambiance of a lovely restaurant is part of the dining experience, too. So, alone in a new city or simply hungry in your own? Don’t be reluctant to confidently say, “Table for one, please.”

Act confidently. Walk into the restaurant looking like you belong in their establishment. No, that doesn’t mean you strut in, but walk in with your head up, make eye contact with the maitre d’, and speak clearly. No mumbling. If you look like you feel sorry for yourself then why won’t others feel the same toward you?

Ask for a quiet table. No one wants to eat alone in the middle of a restaurant. Ask for a table less central. One with a view would be a bonus.

Consider eating at the bar. Many restaurants serve their regular menu at the bar too. No one even looks to see who is dining alone. You may feel less conspicuous.

Disregard what I’ve said in previous blog posts and workshops. Yes, you have permission to check your email, lose yourself in a great book on your e-reader, and browse the tourist attractions on your tablet. Refrain from speaking on your phone in a restaurant. I’m not giving permission for that one! Don’t let your technology consume you though and take away the pleasure of your food. Tweet your friends about how proud you feel.

Get creative. One of my solitary dining experiences resulted in one of my most popular blog posts, Observations During a Fruit Platter and Two Chocolate Croissants. Inspiration hit and I turned over my paper breakfast place mat and scribbled away.

Order dessert. There’s no one to see you so order the triple chocolate cheesecake and eat it all!

“Table for one, please” shouldn’t be an issue. You have the confidence.

Do you have any solitary dining experiences to share? Any tips to add? We’d love to hear them. The comment box is all yours – alone.