I sit most of the day - just standing up when I need to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, or walk around the house to get my blood flowing in all my limbs. I do a great deal of sitting; let's put it that way. Over the past year, just since I've moved to the new house (renting), I have gone through three office chairs for the same reason; I want to be comfortable. I bought a new one when I moved here, so I wouldn't have anything old really in the new place. I loved it. It was nicer, new, shiny, and all that. It was ergonomic and trendy, but there was something missing.
I realized just about the second I sat in it, that when I actually sat in it, the way I sit, I couldn't sit in it comfortably. Because I'd spent a good deal of money on it, and I didn't want to take it apart and send it back to Amazon (and I didn't keep the box)I decided to keep it, call it my "Jeannie" chair, and let my best friend sit in it when she comes over. I bought myself another chair. I bought myself one I can sit in and cross my legs in while I sit, because that's the way I sit.
When I went to school, the desks weren't conducive to me sitting the way I sit, but when I went out to the bleachers to watch the boys play, I could sit with my legs crossed. I have always sat that way, and there really is no reason to stop now - except maybe it's the reason I have bad hips, I don't know. Well, anyway, the new chair was good. It was really good, and I kept it for about eight months, I think. I found myself turning in it more than I wanted, and I found myself rolling to the point of having to pull myself back to the desk, too.
Something I didn't want, was for my headset, which has to be a wired set, (I may get a mic so I don't have to do that) was apt to wrap around one of the arms because it sort of half way stayed in the air and half way pulled itself down. I needed a chair either without arms, or with arms that go up all the way when I need them to, especially on the side of my body where the wired headset is. It was driving me nuts!
OK, so yesterday I got my new big, beautiful, fat, and fluffy fake leather office chair. It holds up to 600 pounds, is 36" wide, and when I sit back in it, my feet don't touch the ground. It came in, and my daughter put it together for me. The arms lift, it's heated, it has a lumbar air pillow, and though I didn't get the one with the rolling massage balls, I could have. I probably should have, but I didn't. I told myself that I would certainly use it, and it could distract me from my actual work. I work hard -- I am basically commission-based, so I don't need distractions!
The new chair has a natural tilt to it, so I sit in it, and my rear end is in a sort of "V" with the leg rest under my thighs being slightly higher than the last chair. It's also ergonomic, and I can feel the difference. I am absolutely relaxed, and don't want to get back up out of my chair - not always a good thing; I will admit that. I literally found myself today, while on the phone, sitting back, chillin' just relaxing, letting the person on the other side of the phone talk and complain. I typically stop them. I usually bring them back to the core of the reason I called, which is for them to pay their damage claim.
Today, I didn't do that. I listened, and I thought silently, "What would Morgan Freeman do at this point?" I found myself nodding, listening, being polite, and taking longer, deeper breaths before speaking. I was thinking (while they were bitching), "I really love this chair. I'm so glad I bought it." Then, when they had told me for the umpteenth time that "I wasn't there", "I didn't do it", "the locate marks were off," and all of their excuses...I just smiled. They couldn't see me smile, but I had a little picture of Morgan Freeman smiling gently in my head.
I told them I understood their frustration. I didn't agree with their reasoning, and the facts remain that they are found to be negligent and need to either pay their claim or send it to their insurance carrier, or face litigation. I was giving them a choice; people like choices. I say nicely, and in my best Morgan Freeman faux attitude, "I want to help you, I really do, but I wasn't the one out there digging in the tolerance zone with mechanized equipment without first calling 811 and having the underground facilities marked. That was you, or your crew. You are responsible, and you need to pay."
The chair made the difference. Before the chair, I didn't let them vent. I was quick to end the complaints, and I could even be considered cold or unforgiving at times. I have two little signs pinned to the bulletin board in front of me. I made them; they are to remind me of the truth and the facts. One says, "It's not your money, be kind." The other says, "Grace, grace, God's grace" because I am not really all that nice to people who put others in harm's way by breaking gas lines when they could have called 811 for a locate (a free service).
The chair is the key here - I hope I can just zen out from this point forward. I may light some incense and turn out the overhead light -- then again, I may just keep smiling, thinking about being comfortable, supported, and relaxed, and let them tell me their excuses -- but probably only for about 30-45 seconds; I can't waste too much time on one claim. I have 40 or 50 to get through each day. Awwwww....the chair.
Photo Credit: Me
No comments:
Post a Comment