A momentary lapse of reason: Special hiking edition

[baxil]

One thing I'm remembering about face-to-face customer service jobs -- after not having worked one for a decade -- is the learning experiences that come from interacting with hundreds of strangers at a stretch

Comments

[packbat]

The quote from "28 Days" springs to mind: Those are just things you've done. They aren't who you are. It takes a special kind of person to try a thru-hike, but my guess is that the hike felt like something you'd done, while writing felt like something you do, something you are.

Or, err, something.

[baphnedia]

Funny how operating as a recruiter exposed me to my own love of music. At some point, when I can make the time - I'd like to take a long walk. Maybe at only 12 miles per day until my legs heal up.

Perhaps everyone should take a stint in sales for such a forced exposure - often in my chatroom I'm helping any one of a bunch of individuals who have a horrifically narrow view of the world - Otherkin or Otherwise.

Oh, and I mentioned that you are green on the forums...

[baxil]

> Perhaps everyone should take a stint in sales for such a forced exposure

I would agree to that if I were able to give it some extreme qualification.

Sticking someone already inclined to misanthropy behind a McDonald's counter is a great way to confirm each and every one of their suspicions. Dealing with the self-centered prima donnas that pass for the American public these days -- and screaming babies, authoritarian bosses, and unmotivated uneducated coworkers, to boot -- is a nightmare I wouldn't wish on any humans of good conscience, let alone Otherkin already struggling with feelings of alienation.

What keeps this particular retail job from such depths is the fact I'm at an organic grocery store. I still have to put up with the arrogant and clueless, yes, but the average customer is pleasant, intelligent, and liberal (virtually all are at least two out of three). I regularly get into great, if brief, conversations with customers. My Greek fisherman's hat is quite a conversation-starter, and I find many customers are well-

[roaminrob]

Related, but not in direct reply ... I've often said that everyone should be forced to work customer service for at least one solid year, if for no other reason than that it may leave a lasting enough impression on them that it would make them more decent towards the poor shlum stuck behind the counter.

[raki]

Retail didn't really do it for me, but not because it confirmed my suspicions of humanity... it just left me feeling mentally exhausted. I usually keep myself to myself, and I can get away with thinking a lot of things whose reactions wouldn't go down too well. But keeping up a customer-service-face made me feel tired... like I'd had my teeth gritted for too long and had only just noticed it.

I much prefer admin, because your tasks don't depend on anyone else, or you successfully putting on a performance to a fickle audience, to get done.

[jrrhack]

"my agreement with Kady that once the season's hike was over, our next goal was to put her through cooking school "

sorry I couldn´t resist had to laugh. rotten mind mine

[roaminrob]

During my drive from Florida to California -- before I had an LJ account -- I stopped into a great little roadside shop in New Mexico. They hadn't seen many people, so we got to chatting a little bit. They thought the cross-country drive was great, but that led them to ask: "Well, what do you do?"

And, in exactly the same way you did, I blurted out, "I roam."

It's possibly the most truthful moment I've had.

As somebody else pointed out, your customer didn't ask what you enjoy doing, or what your hobbies are, they asked you what you do.