In the last couple of days I have had an experience that has not exactly sat well with me. Sometimes we get to experience a certain level of stress in our lives. Often that stress can be job related. Running a business is not a stress free environment. On Friday evening I was working through a few challenging things related to the business and was a little frustrated and muttered something about how I might need to get a real job. I had basically finished what I was in the middle of and my muttering was to myself and happened as an employee was walking up to the front. She overheard my comment and asked if I didn't like working with her and others. I clarified that this was not the case and then made the mistake of trying to qualify my comment with a quick line. Prior to this exchange and while I was in the middle of working on a few things I had a return call from pops regarding one matter I was looking at. I needed clarification from him about a certain matter and was actually relieved when what I hoped was the case was confirmed. That was basically all there was to our conversation. This same employee had come up to the front while I was on the phone and was entering an order into the computer. Note that there were customers in the shop throughout this time. Anyhow, I finished up and went home.
Yesterday I got a text from Dave about a story he had been told by this employee who reportedly said that I was up front yelling at pops on the phone and she had to come up to see what the problem was and calm the situation. She said I slammed the phone down (not real good on a cell phone) and yelled that I was going to get a different job. He also mentioned that this employee had told at least one other person this story. I was somewhat shocked. Dave and I texted back and forth about it and spoke a little more at length about it this evening. Pops was also there and so I asked if I had been yelling at him in our conversation on Friday evening over the phone. No. And then he asked if that was the conversation that this employee had told Dave about. Yes. We were scratching our heads. I don't yell at pops and I certainly don't make a scene in the front of our own business when we have customers about. I also don't like to make a scene in front of employees nor do I make it a habit of yelling at anybody. Not saying that I haven't yelled at somebody before but the story that this gal was sharing was so off base that I feel completely misrepresented and truly don't understand what she was thinking to share such and elaborate story with my own brother. She obviously doesn't know me or understand the working relationship that I have with Dave and Pops. We are pretty much on the same page and we don't work anything like what she described.
I am 40 years old. I am a single parent of 3 kids. I'm poor as poor can be, trying to run a business and I don't have time for this kind of thing. I have listened to this girl tell elaborate stories about things that happen when we are not there and I always take them with a grain of salt because I have heard other reports on the same incident with very different and much less dramatic detail. Apparently she loves drama. I do not. Apparently she doesn't know how to be truthful, enjoys creative license and has no problem misrepresenting someone. Apparently she isn't all that bright when she decides to elaborate on a very unexciting story to my brother concerning our family. Apparently I will be having a sit down with this girl and I may even have to yell at her, just so she can experience what that is really like. Apparently I really like the word apparently and apparently I was bothered by this situation enough that I decided to record it here. Well, here's why. Being misrepresented sucks. I don't like things being said about me and about my family that are not true. You wouldn't like it either. When you're caught you're up the creek. Do you think I trust this individual at all now? Not really. So where does that get her? When we simply tell the truth we will find ourselves worthy of others trust and that is worth so much more.
Okay, done rambling.
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