By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
My wife thinks I should change my attitude and "get into the season," now that Christmas is almost here. She tells me to quit complaining about all kinds of stuff. This is despite the fact that I'm writing this episode after returning from the post office where we had to stand in a long line to mail a Christmas gift.
Queuing is quite normal at this time of year - especially on a Saturday morning - as lots of people are sending presents to family and friends. Two pleasant lady postal clerks manned the counter in Plover last Saturday, weighing packages while smiling and chatting with customers. I stood several people behind a man who got to the counter, seeking Christmas stamps to use in addition to other denominations for his mailings. The clerk patiently worked with him, as she counted out and sorted various stamps into piles to equal the amount the man needed. All the while, the other clerk kept things moving.
By the time I got to the counter, one clerk was still waiting on the man buying stamps and she had added up the charges. The line was now longer, and people were having a hard time getting inside the building. The man began writing a check, but before he finished, his cell phone rang. Without regard to the people behind him, he stopped writing and answered it! "Hello, hello," he repeated, "I can't hear you." I finished my business and walked away as this was taking place, thinking to myself that had I been in line behind him, I might have voiced some disapproving words, like, "Hey, you jerk - forget the damn phone, finish writing your check, grab your stamps and get the hell outta here. If you weren't brain-dead, you'd notice there are others here holding heavy packages, waiting in line while you mindlessly shop for stamps - oblivious to anything around you - why the hell don't you do your stamp shopping at some other time, as any thoughtful and rational person would have done. I hate cretins like you."
Christmas is coming, and I suppose I shouldn't be so ornery. But I never did like inconsiderate and stupid people.
I had lunch last week at the Blueberry Muffin on Stanley Street and the good folks there had a little sign on the wall that did my heart good. It read, "No cell phones."
What a nice thing to do - to help people enjoy a meal without having to endure loud phone conversations from the next table or booth. It's just a shame that such a sign has to go up at all - I don't think it's expecting too much to have people shut off their portable telephones in a restaurant, or even to refrain from cell conversations in public places.
Now that I've unloaded my peeves on you, my spleen feels a good deal better so I can move onto other, more pleasant things.
Yes, Christmas is coming. It's a time when we reflect on the past 12 months, and often express our love and appreciation for people who have touched our lives and for good things that have happened. I'm among them.
I'm grateful for my wife, who demonstrates extraordinary patience by living with such an old coot. I'm thankful for friends and for living in a wonderful community. I appreciate all the folks who've told me they enjoy reading this column. It amazes me that people actually spend time here when there are so many better and important things to do. But I'm grateful.
I've always tried to make people laugh. My father was like that, too, so it's probably genetic. Laughter is such a great healer and generally makes you feel good. We need to laugh more - we should never take ourselves too seriously. So many of the things we do make us look like a bunch of schleps anyway, and if you could see yourself in such circumstances as others see you, how could you not laugh? I hope a little of that has made its way into this column.
I appreciate all the people who have given us at The Gazette such wonderful comments and thanks for our weekly effort - it certainly makes us feel that we're fulfilling a need. I pray we can continue to satisfy your expectations, and justify the time you spend with our paper.
I'm grateful to the people who have supported our work - advertisers who have the confidence in our product to use it as a means to communicate to potential customers. And I'm thankful to you for responding to those messages and doing business with our advertisers.
Most of all, in what's been a difficult year for so many, thanks for being good and decent people - for contributing your resources to those in need locally and outside our area. I am fortunate to live among you. I moved to Stevens Point in 1963, intending to stay a year. Now I can't imagine living anywhere else. Merry Christmas.
You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@yahoo.com.