Article March 16, 1998 Issue

Excuuuuuse me!

Don't take offense. Make a friend instead!

By Nancy W. Mawhinney

I Couldn't Believe My ears. At lunchtime and with the clock ticking, I had run home—quite a distance from my office—to get something. The trip was tied to several errands I needed to complete before heading back, and I had only an hour to do them all.

After stopping at home, I entered the little postal substation to find two people waiting in line. I asked the woman immediately in front of me if she would mind if I asked the clerk for a priority mail envelope so that I could address my package while she was being served. Her answer was startling. It was to the effect that everyone else had been nasty and unkind to her; I might as well be, too.

There was no time really to assimilate her comments before the clerk asked if she could assist whoever was next. The woman wordlessly motioned over her shoulder to me. So I requested the priority mail envelope and, thanking the clerk, moved to the side to address it.

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