Today I started out with the intention of going to get a new Identification Card and from there to go try to find a longer top bridge shelf for my bookcases. Some of the things that happened today ended up being a real eye opener.

Though I arrived early there were several people already ahead of me as this was a day that you didn’t need to have an appointment and you could go in on a walk-in basis for a set amount of hours.

I already had my completed application before I arrive so the only thing I had to do was check in to get my name on the list to be called to get my new identification card made. I checked in and took a seat.

There was quite a mix of people there; men, women and a few children from all different races and nationalities.

Although we were all there early I don’t think a lot of the people knew that the identification card lab didn’t start to actually issue identification cards until a certain time.

As I waited I observed the things going on around me and the people around me. I also talked to some of the people who were waiting with me.

Some of the things I noticed and found out were: a young man with a strange looking contraption on his leg as he had been seriously injured. The desk clerk had been in a motorcycle accident and a lot of the inside of his upper right arm was scraped off almost to the bone from skidding on the asphalt. A young lady with a newborn baby who had her other young child with her as well was scared and felt she was all alone because her husband had been sent to Iraq.

There was also an older gentleman there who had difficulty walking because he had gout, a young man had soft casts on his hands and wrist because he had carpal tunnel, and there was an older lady who had difficulty trying to get up and walk. Those were just a few.

The wait was long and as the morning evolved some people grew tired of waiting and started to get impatient and irritated.

To add to that it was a hot day and the air conditioning in the identification card lab wasn’t on. A few people asked the desk clerk why the air wasn’t on. He told them there wasn’t enough electrical power so they couldn’t run the air conditioner.

As I observed more and even though they had started to call people’s names to issue the identification cards, some people started to complain, get out of their seats, go outside, etc.

It was amazing. The people who were hurt and/or having problems were not the ones complaining. It was everybody else.

Out of all of the people complaining, not one of them had bothered to ask the desk clerk or anyone else the question, “Is there problem, why is the wait so long?”

I had asked the question and had gotten an answer. The reason the wait was so long was because 3 of their co-workers who car pooled together were on their way to work but ended up being in a terrible car accident. One of them didn’t make it and the other 2 weren’t doing so great either.

It was unbelievable how some people still felt the need to complain even after they found out what was going on.

It didn’t seem to bother them that the people who were trying to provide a service to them were grieving, trying to hold it together, dealing with a really bad situation and doing the best they could under the circumstances.

Instead they were uncaring and only concerned about themselves. It was actually shameful the way some of them acted.

My advice to the people who act that way would be; “Be patient, Count Your Blessings and Be Thankful that it wasn’t you or one of your loved ones that was involved in that accident.”

And…”Thank your lucky stars that you were not the person behind the counter who had to deal with someone like you under those same circumstances.”

Oh, by the way, I looked in a few places but didn’t find the longer top bridge shelf for my bookcases so I will go looking again tomorrow.

Regards,
Angela