What’s your fall-back plan?
I had a very unfortunate experience at a quick oil change place yesterday. I had never been there before, but I need an oil change and we were in that town visiting. As I drove up to the shop, a man very angrily directed me to park in front of one of the bays. I lowered my window a little bit because he seemed to be saying something. “Get the f*ck over here!” he said as he gestured for me to park next to the bays.
People curse a lot, I thought to myself. So I just parked where he told me to, and then I sat there for ten minutes. As another tech took information from other drivers, he asked the first man about me. “I have this car and this car, and then I have to go take care of that asshole over there,” the first man said. The second man looked at me and walked over to me. He told me it was going to be another twenty minutes.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m leaving.”
“But there’s cars parked behind you,” he responded.
“Well, can you tell them to back up a little bit? I’m not staying.”
As I drove away, I wondered why the first man was so angry. Yes, it was a cold and rainy day, and he seemed to be very busy. Was all that enough to curse like that and call me an asshole? I thought back to my dad and how much he actually enjoyed having plenty of work to do, even when he was overwhelmed. He said it guaranteed money in his pocket and food in my mouth. The only time I ever saw dad turn away someone from his shop was when there was absolutely no place to park a single car, or motorcycle.
Because my brain is what it is, I also started to think about the angry man and what his fall-back plan was. If he kept up that attitude, chances were that he wouldn’t keep his job very long. I could have very well made an enormous stink about his cursing at me to the manager, then what? Is his retirement secure? Has he paid-off all his debts? The way he was acting was the way someone who either has nothing to lose or doesn’t care acts. And he wasn’t some young, punk kid, either.
Punk kids do the best oil changes, though. (Image via InfoCog on Flickr, CC by -NC 2.0)
When I was a teenager, I’d “poke bears with sticks” as young ones do because it made me feel energized. I felt like I was standing my ground on almost anything, and that people would notice me. Well, they did notice me, but not for the right reasons. That adversarial attitude has been attenuated and replaced with a bigger sense for what battles need to be fought, though I still stumble a bit at times and poke the wrong bear.
Then again, I do have a fall-back plan. If I can’t do public health anymore, I’ll work in a laboratory, doing menial lab work or even just drawing blood. If I can’t do that, there are plenty of orchards in Pennsylvania that would welcome me to pick apples — and to translate the bosses’ orders to the other pickers. If that doesn’t work out, I’m not above cleaning toilets a la Good Will Hunting.
Who knows? Maybe the angry guy at the oil change place does have a fall-back plan. Maybe he’s really good at making beds and could pick up a gig at a hotel or something, and here I am being all judgmental. Seriously, though, if you work in a service job and your service sucks, have a good fall-back plan.
EpidemioLogical 
Honestly, I change my own oil. Hence, I’d be unlikely to encounter that man, regardless of where I’m visiting.
But, I’ve also worked in customer service over the years, repairing televisions, VCR’s, laserdiscs, DVD players in the home and later, small-mid computer services/integration for small – mid sized businesses.
By then, my military time was all reserve.
When televisions started reaching a disposable commodity price, I picked up VCR’s and laserdiscs, later, CD and later, DCD players. When all of those went to disposable commodity pricing, I went into computers.
Eventually, that was no longer challenging and having been conducting most of the duties of an information assurance security officer, I changed careers again and entered into information assurance/information security.
But, if computers and electronics disappeared tomorrow, I also learned how to pour and finish concrete from my father. I know how to repair plumbing. I know how to repair automobiles.
Regardless, I’d not be calling a client or customer names, as one never will receive repeat business that way.
Once, while working as an integrator, I had to take one of my crew outside, “Come on, let’s go for a cigarette break”, “I don’t smoke”, “You do now”.
He was starting to grumble and mutter some profanity and I explained, outside, curse at the fence post, kick the fence, never, ever use profanity in front of the client.
Was I frustrated by some of the office workers? Absolutely. I didn’t lash out, I repressed it and educated those in need of education and to those who felt privileged and didn’t need to move out of our way, I replied, “That’s OK, we’re working by the hour, do take your time” and the owner got them swiftly moving.
But then, my fall-back plan and tool has always been the same, my mind.
Oh, lord! I have Good Morning America and woo crap is on about “cleansing the gut”, “inflammatory food” and “leaky guts”. “Happy gut” book sales, well, I know one book I’ll avoid.
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