This morning, the kidlets were having a blast exercising with our favorite electronic gadget. The girls were actively playing the games and their brother was jumping up and down along with them despite his lack of remote. I decided to take that time to finish up reading a book I had started earlier.
One of the concepts the book, yet another mystery in one of the series I am devouring, put forth was that we should actually communicate with the people we see throughout the course of our normal errands, activities, and other wanderings. Yes, I know how ironic it was that I was reading such words while my kidlets and I were lost in our own little worlds and not talking with one another. However, the book really pointed out that the grocers, clerks, secretaries, waiters, and a whole slew of other people we see on a semi-regular basis are people, too, and they deserve eye contact and our attention. Given that I have seen cashiers ignoring customers in order to finish up their cell phone conversations, I'm fairly certain the book would have been slightly more correct to point out that interactions should be mutually agreed upon, and in circumstances where someone could be injured or killed, different rules should apply. I'm not about to start yammering away with someone who is stalking me, for example, nor would I advise a parent to go hang out with their neighborhood's registered sex offenders. A little common sense goes a long way. But the point I really took away from that book was that people are, well, people, not mindless drones that should be ignored while they go about their business.
While I was pondering that thought, I noticed Bug Guy's van parked in front of our house. Every few months, we pay some bug service to come out and spray the perimeter of our house with kidlet-safe herb-y chemicals that are supposed to freak out the creepy crawlies. We started this back five years ago when carpet beetles decided to take over our house. Those carpet beetles have yet to put in a reappearance, but we keep our service just in case.
Bug Guy rang the doorbell and told me he was here for our regularly scheduled debugging spray, just like the company's prerecorded phone call had told me he was going to do. Bug Guy was not the same man who came last time, nor was he the one before that. I decided to ask Bug Guy why the powers that be keep changing employees on us. Surely it must be annoying to constantly reassign their routes, and I'd like to think that we are not creepy enough to scare away a number of Bug Guys.
Turns out that the prior Bug Guy is really sick. New Bug Guy did not have details other than to say it was a scramble for everyone to try and pick up all of prior Bug Guy's scheduled appointments. The company's employees hope that prior Bug Guy is able to be back to work by the time our next scheduled appointment occurs in three months. He and I chatted for a few minutes before he went around to do the normal perimeter spray.
Now, in the grand scheme of things, it does not really matter to me who sprays down our house. As long as someone does it, and doesn't do anything illegal or annoying while they are there, I have no real preference as to who completes the work. However, if prior Bug Guy is as sick as his replacement Bug Guy seems to think he is, it might just help boost his spirits to know his customers are asking about him and hoping he feels better quickly. He is a person, not a mindless drone.
I think perhaps that book I finished today just might be right, and I'm glad I opened my mouth to ask about the new person who came to my door.
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