Four score and seven years ago I was at work. Well actually, it was only just four years ago.
I was emptying wastebaskets in the warehouse and all of sudden it hit me like a thunderbolt. I work in an Army Reserve office building amongst soldiers and our crew. And I thought, “Everybody here hates me.” I was a 100 percent sure of it. It was a really bad feeling but I had to just keep doing my job.
And so I finished the wastebaskets and just kept going to work but I walked around with that feeling. And so a year went by thinking this. And I don’t think anyone deliberately took advantage of me but people were treating me different, a little condescending, a little superior.
But funny enough, there were about three of the office workers who always greeted me and were always friendly during this time. But in my state of mind I thought they really were acting. But they were consistently nice.
After a year, one day I was on my break sitting in the lobby and a woman who I had seen for the past two years saw me as she walked by and looked at me, gave me a big smile and said hi. And somehow it dawned on me that she was sincere. And I perked up and started looking at people closer and I realized that many people actually liked me. I came out of my depression and started smiling to people and saying hi.
And I realized I had been wrong the whole year. And I started talking to people and cracking jokes again. Life turned good at work. This ending is kind of anti-climatic but now I thought that everybody liked me. And that’s how the last two years have been. I get to talk with everybody and be friendly and make people laugh.
My friend at work even noticed the change and commented that I’m a lot friendlier. The anti-climatic part is that for the past week I’ve been thinking the reality might be that maybe 4 or 5 people might really like me and the rest are just polite or maybe just think I’m just OK. I know quite a few people dislike me but I get along with most people including my co-workers.
So I don’t know what I expect you guys to get out of this, but hopefully something. You tell me.
And most importantly, “Four score years” is 80 years. Right, Abe?