Entry tags:
lowered expectations
Does anyone else remember "Lowered Expectations", that recurring skit on Mad TV? It's a spoof on a realistic video dating service. The theme jingle has stuck with me a long time, even though I rarely saw the show. Tonight's topic isn't dating services though, it's about a different set of expectations.
Three different people in the last week have expressed how thoughtful I am. Now, I do try to have a bit of empathy and treat my fellow human like, well, a fellow human. But I don't claim to be Mother Theresa. In each case, the things being referred to as examples of my kindness and thoughtfulness were trivial.
I drive three miles to work. A half mile from my house, right on my route, I pick up a guy who works in my office and doesn't have a car. It's winter. It's Maine. It's bloody cold out there. I'm driving right by every morning and afternoon. Sometimes at the end of the day he has to wait for me for ten minutes. Sometimes I have to wait for him for ten minutes. He is so very grateful. It is literally no trouble to me.
A friend of mine has an old turntable that he's decided to break out and start using again. He was having trouble with one channel dropping out and thought it might be the needle and cartridge. I recently picked up some cartridges on a closeout deal. I liked the sound of them so I offered him one so he could try it out and see if that was his problem. I met up with him and gave him the cartridge. He paid me back what it had cost me. Today I asked if it had solved his problem. He absolutely gushed at my thoughtfulness. Again, it wasn't a bit of trouble to me.
Back in the fall I took an hour or so to help Hawk install a new stereo in his van. He's really into music and having a 20 minute commute with nothing to listen to would drive me right around the bend. Last week he mentioned to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
derien how thoughtful I was. My response was "Why would he say that?" Seriously, it was months ago.
Does the average human act that awful to their fellow humans that I stand out? I mean, really, that's lowered expectations.
Three different people in the last week have expressed how thoughtful I am. Now, I do try to have a bit of empathy and treat my fellow human like, well, a fellow human. But I don't claim to be Mother Theresa. In each case, the things being referred to as examples of my kindness and thoughtfulness were trivial.
I drive three miles to work. A half mile from my house, right on my route, I pick up a guy who works in my office and doesn't have a car. It's winter. It's Maine. It's bloody cold out there. I'm driving right by every morning and afternoon. Sometimes at the end of the day he has to wait for me for ten minutes. Sometimes I have to wait for him for ten minutes. He is so very grateful. It is literally no trouble to me.
A friend of mine has an old turntable that he's decided to break out and start using again. He was having trouble with one channel dropping out and thought it might be the needle and cartridge. I recently picked up some cartridges on a closeout deal. I liked the sound of them so I offered him one so he could try it out and see if that was his problem. I met up with him and gave him the cartridge. He paid me back what it had cost me. Today I asked if it had solved his problem. He absolutely gushed at my thoughtfulness. Again, it wasn't a bit of trouble to me.
Back in the fall I took an hour or so to help Hawk install a new stereo in his van. He's really into music and having a 20 minute commute with nothing to listen to would drive me right around the bend. Last week he mentioned to
derien how thoughtful I was. My response was "Why would he say that?" Seriously, it was months ago. Does the average human act that awful to their fellow humans that I stand out? I mean, really, that's lowered expectations.