Sunday, July 7, 2013

A Rainy Sunday

It's been rainy and dismal all day, and this has made me feel tired and weary.  Blah.

I'm not going to talk about what I did today because nothing too spectacular happened.  Emails and packaging up Dandy Memberships to be mailed out.  That's all.

I will, instead, talk about several things that have occupied my mind for awhile. Where do I start?  Swiss Chalet, I suppose.

Bruce, Brittainy, and I had arranged to meet there last Wednesday at 5pm.  I got there five minutes early, went inside, and waited to be noticed.  A server with poofy hair asked if I wanted a table.  I pointed to Yes on my communication board.  He seemed a bit confused with my mode of communication but he understood my meaning.  I pointed to 3 on my board and looked the server right in the eye, hoping that he would understand that I wanted a table for three.  After a few seconds, he did understand.

I was shown to a table, and waited for Bruce and Brittainy to arrive.  When they did show up and we began to order our meals, I was shocked and dismayed that the same server I had previously interacted with was now blatantly ignoring me.  "What would she like?" he kept asking both Bruce and Brittainy.

I felt angry, humiliated, and frustrated! What's wrong with some people?  Why can't they treat me just like anybody else?  Obviously, the server had seen that I could comprehend and communicate very well.  Why couldn't he have just spoken to me to me directly?

What is interesting, though, is that before this negative experience I had three positive experiences at three different restaurants:  Hot House, Sambuca, and Cafe California. All three servers treated me with respect by talking with me, inquiring about which meal I wanted and my specifications - and just generally treating me like a human being!

I had felt genuinely pleased and surprised by the positive attiitudes of the three servers.  And yet, I then thought how sad it was that this was the exception instead of the norm.

However, maybe one day it will be ....


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