The High Road (Or the Blackberry never lies)

Why do people feel the need to be hostile? Or why is it, that for some people- hostility seems the easier path, than reasoning it out level headed-ly?

I was at an appointment the other day for physical therapy- when some lady limped in claiming to have an appointment, with the same therapist at the same time as me. Her go-to argument being, "But it's in my Blackberry!!" The girl at the front desk was calm and non-confrontational in trying revolve the situation. In the course of probably two and a half minutes, limpy lady stated that: She had made the appointment a week ago. Then: She had made the appointment a week and a half ago. And then: She had made the appointment two weeks ago. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she glared at the girl "I know you think this is very funny, because you keep shaking your head at me, but it's not!" The girl was just as confused as I was, as there was no laughter or insinuation this situation was funny at all. "I just spent $10 on a cab ride over here, what the..." was followed by "There's no way I would have scheduled an appointment last week, I had big clients in from Mexico for a few days." Then about a minute later, "I had really big clients in from Mexico all week last week."

I get it. It's frustrating when appointments get crossed. I would be put off, for sure. But when someone is trying to be helpful, why don't people realize that perhaps verbally abusing this person isn't the best way to get what you want out of the situation? It seems simple to me.

Well, eventually the girl at the front desk excused herself to go talk to the physical therapist about the situation, and gimpy chick huffed and puffed off to the side saying, "It's always something or another with this place, I should go somewhere else," all the while staring at her Blackberry- presumably at the appointment that the god of all schedules had apparently beamed into her electronic calendar. And when the therapist came out to tell her what the were going try and do, squeeze her in if she'd just wait a couple minutes, she  kept interrupting accusingly (going back to the $10 cab ride argument in the process) as if he he was saying I am sorry you are not on the schedule please go home- which is what I wanted to say, as she was cutting into my appointment time. Which was both on my schedule and the physical therapist's schedule too. And when the situation had seemed to be corrected, there was no thank you. No awareness that her behavior was affecting anybody else's schedule but her own.

I like the saying, "If your lunch mate is nice to you, but not to the waiter- then they are not a nice person." This woman was not nice. It took a lot of restraint on my part not to say anything to this awful woman. And she was truly awful. Not my battle, I kept telling myself, not my business. This woman couldn't possibly wrap her mind around the fact that the mistake could have been her own. No way. Not when it was In her Blackberry. I have no idea what kind of baggage or issues, other than physical pain, this woman brought in with her, but there is no excuse in my book for treating someone as she did- especially when that someone is in the position to and trying to help. Perhaps "physical" isn't the only sort therapy she should be looking into. I realize I am far from a saint- judge not lest ye be judged, I once read somewhere... But I hope I am never as ugly to others as this woman was, and let's face it- probably is in other other aspects of her life. Ugh.

(Steps off his soap box, which was positioned very carefully, on very high ground)