I know I complain too much but this is REALLY getting to me. My biggest peeve lately is that no one will return my calls! I know- life must be SOOO hard for poor Patty if that's her biggest complaint (note the sarcasm!) but honestly- doesn't it ever bother you when you really would like to talk to someone and they just will not call you back? Is anyone else having this problem?
This problem has led to speculation that maybe I'm some sort of totally unacceptable person to talk to. Why else would otherwise nice people not want to answer the phone when I call? Or make an efffort to dial 7 numbers and say "hi- I'm just returning your call."? Maybe they really don't like me. Here come all of my adolescent fears of not being accepted again. I can't really help it if they don't like me, though. Just like I can't just not call them because I'm afraid that might be true.
Maybe it's because I have that oh-so-intimidating title of RS President. I'd give that one more serious consideration if it weren't for the fact that people who know me literally LAUGH when they think of me being intimidating to anyone. If this is it, and I've left a message for you recently- please overlook the title and see the totally average, ordinary woman behind it!! I'm still me!
So should I just assume it's bad manners and think badly of these people who I otherwise hold in high regard? Nah. I'd prefer to think that they really are just so busy that they can't take 5 minutes to call me back. That way I can keep thinking that I'm an okay person (worth talking to, at least) and they're good people too, just not so good at making phone calls.
5 comments:
I saw your comment on books on my blog. Thanks for commenting! I just wanted to mention that I'm reading the Anna Karenina translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky and I hear that makes all the difference. Good luck!
Uh, Patty, could I offer one other perspective? Some people, who otherwise seem quite normal to the outside world, for some unexplainable reason, get sweaty palms, sweaty pits, and are completely paralyzed by the whole idea of dialing the 7 numbers and starting a conversation -- even to call people they know. Somehow, having a phone to my ear, freezes my brain.
I know it's irrational, I just can't make the leap from that knowledge to just dialing the phone. When I do force myself to make the leap, I usually realize that it wasn't really as bad as I had imagined.
So, call me or Mama. Problem solved. *grin*
If I am one of the ones from whom you are awaiting a return call - it is probably because I worked the night before and slept during the day, and never got the message to call you! That is the bane of my existence right now...
It is NOT because you are a boring person to talk to. I think it has more to do with busy-ness and the fear Leslie mentioned - LOTS of people have that fear of phones, including me to a degree.
But I like the fact that you'd blog about this pet peeve - because it will likely motivate someone to return the call or talk to people who need to hear about it who will then return the call. :)
I am TERRIBLE at returning calls or even listening to my messages...if it's me..sorry!
I do hate the phone though! (no good reason behind it!)
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