Mine Eyes Have Seen the... Glory?

As a kid, life was a blank slate. It seemed as though every turn of events was surprising and fascinating. People would surprise me and curve balls could come around any corner. It was a confusing time, but a carefree one. My glasses were rose colored and ignorance was bliss.

Now, as I get older, I am surprised by less and less. Not to say that I’ve become hardened and cynical (well OK, I am generally rather cynical). It’s just that I’ve seen a lot over the years. Life has presented itself in surplus, and I am pretty observant.

Most people who have met me would say that I’m a laid back, fun-loving fella. I’ve tried hard to not let life change this. Back in the day when I was still considering going for my doctorate in Psychology, I made sure to observe as much of the field as I could. In that, I saw a good friend of mine change over the years. I always knew her as someone with a gleam in her eye; someone who was quick to flash you a smile and laugh at life. But years of being a Psychologist have broken her. Day after day of dealing with other people’s problems has brought a sadness to her that is undeniable.

I did not want this for myself. It ended up being one of the reasons I went a different direction. Granted, I deal with a lion’s share of idiocy on a regular basis. The difference is that it is not my job to save them. From this standpoint I make sure their residential experience is as pleasant as possible, and I make sure they pay their rent. Other than that I can stand back and mock them at will. I believe this to be my mental salvation.

So, that is me in a nutshell.

Look at the size of this nutshell. How did I get into this huge nutshell?

I am still willing and able to laugh at life, I can just read it better than I used to. This ability to read life is important to my daily work. I need to be able to judge who is being honest with me; to determine what people’s ulterior motives are (if any). This is never more true than when I am taking an apartment application. I don’t just hand applications over. I fill them out myself, thereby turning the process into a sort of interview. I use this opportunity to get a feel for them. I pick up on when they stumble over an answer or look away. I probe deeper when they try to gloss over. I also do things to amuse myself, such as trying to guess the answers in my head before they tell me. Things like age, or what they do for a living.

Not long ago, a guy came in to look at an apartment. Now, it’s not often that someone makes me feel physically small. Trust me when I say, this dude was big. He was no taller than me, but he was easily two of me thick, if not more. He had a huge barrel chest and wide shoulders. His neck was like a tree trunk that came straight down from his head. Not just muscle, not just fat, he was a hefty combination of both. So, when he said his occupation was “security,” it seemed to fit nicely. I was going with either that or professional midget tosser, but security is more common.

Another guy came in who was a little tougher to gage. He was a well-built man with scruffy clothes and the hands of a laborer. He seemed intelligent enough, but there was just something off about him. He would lose his train of thought, he would repeat himself, and he would repeat himself. At times he would be saying something and then trail off until he was just staring at me. When he said he was a general laborer in construction it still didn’t fit completely with what I saw. I have known many construction workers who are very talented and on the ball. It wasn’t until I asked him the question “do you have any income other than your primary” that the riddle was solved. His response was:

“Yeah, I’m an amateur boxer too. I make a grand here and there when I have fights.”

Yes, this made sense. Apparently he had had his bell rung a few too many times. He never said he was a good boxer.

Aren’t you feeding into a negative mind frame of stereotypes and generalization?

Perhaps, but it’s entertaining for me. And as life opens my eyes more and more, it’s important that I continue to laugh at it. If not, I may start to loose my fight with sanity. It is a slippery slope and at times there are landslides.