60.0°,
Light Rain That's Life: Night and Day
Dear That’s Life,
Night and Day:
A recent article in the New York Times Magazine recounted the abuse one Washington Post columnist consistently takes on the paper’s web site by people who post responses but do not sign their names. Because of the loose manner in which posters can record their disdain or approval of something printed in the paper and because people do not have to sign their names to what they’ve written, people write whatever they want.
There is a real ownership of one’s words when you sign your name to something. Accountability, pride, ‘owning up,’ responsibility or however you might like to term it, this paper will not print a letter without confirming the writer. Anonymous letters are not printed and e-mail addresses are not enough. If you have something to say, we would love to hear from you — but sign what you write. We always do.
A response posted on line to my story about the incident in the “luxury item” store ridiculed my behavior and said that I was the one with the problem and not the store. The letter was not signed. A different letter said that I should be embarrassed by how I acted and called me a name. That was signed, although the writer declined to have it printed. Kudos to him for having the guts to put his name to paper.
The issue with my experience in that store was not that I had to wait — it was that there was no accountability by someone else for his behavior; no remorse or even regret. That was the problem. I sign my name every week and account for the things I do and say and just appreciate when others do the same.
Those who believe I over-reacted or missed the point by thinking that the essence of the story was that I do not like to be kept waiting, may appreciate this incident instead:
Treating myself to a manicure and pedicure, I made a Friday appointment. Being moved from the waiting/sitting area in a manicure place to a pedicure chair with running water is like being moved from the waiting area in a doctor’s office to an exam room. You know you’re closer to being seen. But when the water is running and there is no one there to meet you at the chair, you know the file is being put on the door of the room but the doctor will not be there any time soon.
The store was very busy and when my appointment finally began 30 minutes later, I no longer had time for both the manicure and the pedicure. I told them I changed my mind about the manicure because of the time; I had given myself an hour for my treat but my time was almost up: Shabbos was coming. The owner was informed and he asked me if I was sure that I could not stay any longer but I said I could not — too much to do at home and the sun was setting.
“Miriam,” he said, “I am so sorry –– we just got backed up.” Really appreciating his response, I told him it was fine. “Can you come tomorrow?” he asked. “We are open tomorrow.” Smiling, I shook my head that in fact, I could not come the next day. But before I left, he apologized again — a sincere apology. Not being able to believe the difference between my two experiences in the last couple of weeks, and really appreciating the difference between them, I looked at him and said, “Not to worry. I’ll see you next week instead.”
MLW
If something happened to you “that could only happen around here,” you’ve got to share! Was it funny? Outrageous? Hopefully, it wasn’t too painful. No matter what, if you type it up and sent it to letters [at] thejewishstar.com you’ll have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Burger’s Bar on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst — in other words, you could win an outstanding meal at one of Nassau County’s most popular kosher restaurants. Submissions should include your name, your town, and your daytime and evening phone numbers. Sorry, but anonymous submissions cannot be considered. All decisions by the editors are final and all submissions become the property of The Jewish Star.
In case you were wondering, Burgers Bar is under the supervision of the Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, and plays music you can find on MLW’s iPod.
