An excerpt from her journal
She was rather taken aback when an sms arrived in the phone inbox. A delayed message, thanks to a dead battery. It read:
I left a parcel pickup slip in your mailbox. Can you please make sure you collect the item from the post office? (edited)
She read it as a favour expected to be carried out, solely from the words "make sure". She absolutely dislikes people who would do that to her. How could that be? This friend was meant to be a good friend.
Thus she tried to wriggle her way out by finding some alternatives. A conversation over msn turned out something like this, and almost became ugly.
she: Why don't you find an alternative instead of me driving all the way up north to the post office to collect your parcel?
friend: Don't you finish work at 4pm? You can get there before the PO closes.
she: I don't leave work at that time anymore. The past weeks have been hectic. I usually knock off between 5.30 and 6.30pm.
friend: Then can you go during your lunch time?
she: (starts thinking of how that can be managed, the journey time from work to that said PO, and the work that's piling up on her desk. She didn't reply.)
friend: Aiyah if it's too troublesome, I'll just ask the parcel to be sent back overseas and ask my sister to keep it instead.
At this point in time, she was stunned. She never meant it to sound that she won't do it. Of course she would do this favour, but if a better alternative can be found, e.g. repost the parcel for a few extra dollars, wouldn't that be worth it?
And then, she found out that this friend was just posted to Perth for work the day before. Being informed at 3pm on a Friday meant preparation for work needed to be done, flights booked, and accomodation settled. She didn't know how chaotic the situation was for her friend.
And being away for a week meant her friend was unable to collect the parcel herself.
And finally reading the little note, left in her mailbox earlier in the day, meant she had misjudged her friend.
And being all grumpy and slightly cranky about the whole thing was absolutely unnecessary. If the pieces of information were put together in the right order, this wouldn't have happened. Great, she tried to justify herself again.
And being lectured by God during this morning's sermon knocked the living daylights out of her. The senior pastor spoke on the theme from Luke 10:27b which says: Love your neighbour as yourself.
She couldn't have felt more ashamed.
I left a parcel pickup slip in your mailbox. Can you please make sure you collect the item from the post office? (edited)
She read it as a favour expected to be carried out, solely from the words "make sure". She absolutely dislikes people who would do that to her. How could that be? This friend was meant to be a good friend.
Thus she tried to wriggle her way out by finding some alternatives. A conversation over msn turned out something like this, and almost became ugly.
she: Why don't you find an alternative instead of me driving all the way up north to the post office to collect your parcel?
friend: Don't you finish work at 4pm? You can get there before the PO closes.
she: I don't leave work at that time anymore. The past weeks have been hectic. I usually knock off between 5.30 and 6.30pm.
friend: Then can you go during your lunch time?
she: (starts thinking of how that can be managed, the journey time from work to that said PO, and the work that's piling up on her desk. She didn't reply.)
friend: Aiyah if it's too troublesome, I'll just ask the parcel to be sent back overseas and ask my sister to keep it instead.
At this point in time, she was stunned. She never meant it to sound that she won't do it. Of course she would do this favour, but if a better alternative can be found, e.g. repost the parcel for a few extra dollars, wouldn't that be worth it?
And then, she found out that this friend was just posted to Perth for work the day before. Being informed at 3pm on a Friday meant preparation for work needed to be done, flights booked, and accomodation settled. She didn't know how chaotic the situation was for her friend.
And being away for a week meant her friend was unable to collect the parcel herself.
And finally reading the little note, left in her mailbox earlier in the day, meant she had misjudged her friend.
And being all grumpy and slightly cranky about the whole thing was absolutely unnecessary. If the pieces of information were put together in the right order, this wouldn't have happened. Great, she tried to justify herself again.
And being lectured by God during this morning's sermon knocked the living daylights out of her. The senior pastor spoke on the theme from Luke 10:27b which says: Love your neighbour as yourself.
She couldn't have felt more ashamed.
my lil' fingers typed this @ 6:18 PM Wolly time
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