A Moment of Awareness

Treasured readers,

I was in a foul mood late Friday afternoon. A prospective client indicated that they could not fund our proposed project in 2009.   I had run out of week without running out of work, including some that was falling disturbingly behind schedule.  On top of those and other more material challenges, my trusted (and, I must confess, beloved) iPhone was malfunctioning.  It was the phone that brought me to the Rosedale Apple Store, where learned that I would wait an hour for an appointment with a technician (they call them “geniuses” – apparently humility isn’t among their core values).   I was somewhat less than gracious to the staff member (or, in Apple terms, “concierge”)  who signed me up. I decided to spend the hour walking.

My deep grouchiness was shattered by the following image:

The Easter Bunny and his photographic team were without customers, and the Rabbit of Honor sat reading – yes – Quantum Mechanics. I approached the giant lagomorph, and asked whether he was really a physics student, or whether this was a wry joke. The joke was on me: company policy said he couldn’t talk while on duty. Thankfully, his manager overheard the discussion, my monologue and  his pantomime.  She confirmed that, when not delighting children of all ages, the Bunny was a physicist.  Better yet, because my iPhone wasn’t working, the manager (a delightful woman named Kat) even emailed me the snapshot. Thanks, Kat!

Apple replaced the phone quickly and efficiently. Genius or not, it was a positive customer experience. I went into the weekend in a far better mood than I could have anticipated before meeting the physicist Easter Bunny. I even apologized to the Apple concierge for having been short with him. He was shocked and genuinely touched by the brief, sincere apology.

My point? It's rough out there, and many people are feeling major pressure, much of the time.  Let us err on the side of patience, compassion, and humor.  Let us resolve to lighten up, share a laugh, and try to help one another keep everything in perspective.  Even science and religion set aside their differences last week!