Every environment can be broken down into microenvironments. You live in New York City. But actually the West Village. And you have a favorite bagel shop. You like the guy who works there with the beard who smokes, but not the one with the nose-ring who always looks at you like you just walked in and screamed, I have a raging case of gonorrhea, and I’m about to go out on a date with your aunt Lillian!
The slightest bit of change can alter your relationship to these microenvironments, and their effect on your life can be profound. I used to go to the same café every day. I knew the people who worked there. I’d go in for a cup of coffee and emerge after twenty minutes, having spoken about TV shows, exercising, and the weather. One of the weekend baristas was a part-time tennis instructor, and he was going to give me lessons for half price. But before we got around to setting them up, he was replaced by two young women who looked as though they had just finished school. Unfortunately, they must’ve flunked out of community college. Getting a cup coffee on a Sunday now took twenty minutes not because you were chatting with members of your community, but because the line was insanely long. These women were super slow. They’d ring things up incorrectly. They’d make the wrong drinks. They’d spend five minutes laughing over some private joke. Meanwhile, twelve people were fuming as they waited to get coffee. So, I stopped going. And I can’t have been the only person to stop patronizing this place. The owner lessened the quality of the neighborhood just a little bit.
A more recent example would be the diner I go to after working out. I get the same thing every time. A cup of soup and a turkey burger. I know the people there. The waiter with the mustache who’s always grumpy, I suspect because he thinks I’m not tipping him even though I leave a 20% tip when I pay with a credit card at the register. The guy who always messes up everybody’s order, but who is so nice about it you can’t get mad at him. And so on. This weekend, there was a shooting there. Some guy was killed there at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, but due to the manner of the shooting it appears as though he was specifically targeted. Four shots to the head and chest, and nobody else was injured. He had a criminal record, and was nearly convicted of murder a few years ago.
As I read this, I wondered about the people who work at the diner. Were they OK? Had they been traumatized? How would this effect the community? And then I realized that we have to remember what’s important, and focus on the things that matter.
I hope this doesn’t cause them to raise the price of the turkey burger.
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In this week’s episode of the podcast, we discuss the Halloween parade. You can stream the show here and at SelfAbsorbed.me, and subscribe in iTunes. As always, please help to spread the word about the show. Your entire neighborhood will thank you for it.
The slightest bit of change can alter your relationship to these microenvironments, and their effect on your life can be profound. I used to go to the same café every day. I knew the people who worked there. I’d go in for a cup of coffee and emerge after twenty minutes, having spoken about TV shows, exercising, and the weather. One of the weekend baristas was a part-time tennis instructor, and he was going to give me lessons for half price. But before we got around to setting them up, he was replaced by two young women who looked as though they had just finished school. Unfortunately, they must’ve flunked out of community college. Getting a cup coffee on a Sunday now took twenty minutes not because you were chatting with members of your community, but because the line was insanely long. These women were super slow. They’d ring things up incorrectly. They’d make the wrong drinks. They’d spend five minutes laughing over some private joke. Meanwhile, twelve people were fuming as they waited to get coffee. So, I stopped going. And I can’t have been the only person to stop patronizing this place. The owner lessened the quality of the neighborhood just a little bit.
A more recent example would be the diner I go to after working out. I get the same thing every time. A cup of soup and a turkey burger. I know the people there. The waiter with the mustache who’s always grumpy, I suspect because he thinks I’m not tipping him even though I leave a 20% tip when I pay with a credit card at the register. The guy who always messes up everybody’s order, but who is so nice about it you can’t get mad at him. And so on. This weekend, there was a shooting there. Some guy was killed there at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, but due to the manner of the shooting it appears as though he was specifically targeted. Four shots to the head and chest, and nobody else was injured. He had a criminal record, and was nearly convicted of murder a few years ago.
As I read this, I wondered about the people who work at the diner. Were they OK? Had they been traumatized? How would this effect the community? And then I realized that we have to remember what’s important, and focus on the things that matter.
I hope this doesn’t cause them to raise the price of the turkey burger.
***********
In this week’s episode of the podcast, we discuss the Halloween parade. You can stream the show here and at SelfAbsorbed.me, and subscribe in iTunes. As always, please help to spread the word about the show. Your entire neighborhood will thank you for it.
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