Just wait long enough..

and people will surprise and impress you.  That's what he said. 

"when you’re pissed off at somebody and you’re angry at them, you just haven’t given them enough time" -- Jon Snoddy, quoted by Randy Pausch in the "The Last Lecture".

I don't mind admitting that as much as I appreciated Mr. Pausch's talk, I just had a problem with that part. I mean, I figured, hey once an asshole always an asshole - yesterday, today and tomorrow. But I'm staying open to new ideas.

And I'm glad I did.  Because it worked.

This past weekend was the island's 50th Annual Festival of Art.  Earlier in the week someone asked me for a little help during the event, offering a sort of barter arrangement.  My help now in exchange for some sort of future help in return.  I had no idea what that assistance might be (Someday, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me...) because really - if you're a plumber, or an electrician, or some kind of handyman oh yeah, I can think of plenty of things I need, but this time? No clue.  But they hit me on a good day, when I was in a good mood, and it was a small thing that could make a big difference.

Come the day the small thing turned into a hellacious big freaking job.  And it was entirely clear that it could have been prevented.  However, I'm just not the kind of person that can say "whaaa whaaa this is not what I signed up for and too much for little me" and walk away.  I just put my head down, channel the Energizer Bunny, and git 'er done.  After Day 1 I was exhausted and more than just a little angry.  I had some downtime, and spent far too much of it feeling irritated.  But I made an agreement, and just because someone else has let their side of an agreement slide, somehow I can't NOT fulfill my part, if it is still at all possible for me to do so. So I went back on Day 2, to complete the job.

And was pleasantly surprised to find that my extreme efforts to compensate for other failures were recognized and appreciated.  The words - admitting, apologizing - helped.  But beyond words, there was a change in plans to ensure that Day 2 was not a repeat of Day 1, a nice thank-you gift, and best of all  - a paycheck.  I learned a few lessons over the weekend, but all in all, I walked away feeling good about it.

So maybe there's something to this waiting thing.  I seriously doubt it usually comes around this quickly!  But I'm willing to keep trying. And I'm still open to new ideas.