Survival of the Fittest
Mealtimes are frustrating for many of us. Breakfast is served on a long buffet in the center of the dining room, and a short one on the side. That part is all right. But many a morning the kitchen runs out of something; often bananas, fruit, sometimes even oatmeal. That’s why, even before eight o’clock, people line up to be first in line. Even ten minutes later all bananas have disappeared. However, the first people in line often take two or three, put them in the basket of their walker and take them back to their apartment for later. If there are strawberries or watermelon in the bowl with fruit, they are put at the bottom of the bowl, and first arrivers are digging through the cantaloupe and honeydew melon to get to the strawberries or watermelon and the followers get only the melon, which is what we get 365 days out of the year! One day, after I had put oatmeal into my plate, I noticed there were no bananas. Turning around, I saw that one of the women had two bananas on her walker. “Oh, where did you get the bananas?”, I said, and she responded “I was first in line and they still had some,” and she stuck out her tongue at me. YES! Can you believe that? She stuck out her tongue! That 89 year old woman had absolutely no manners in my book. She was not a lady either. Later I thought that she must be envious because of the way I look or walk, or who I am and what I can still do that she can’t. So I am sorry for her and I feel so sad that this can happen in a community like ours.
It is similar at dinner time. Everybody sits on benches and chairs and walkers in the hallway, waiting until the dining room opens. The hostess is great. She assigns people their table, one table at a time, and throngs of people push to get in first. It’s really unbelievable. Tablemates cling to “their” table. If you are one of the lucky ones to be a part of someone’s table, you are supposed to call the table manager if you can’t be there. In that case they can invite someone else. It is very unpleasant, to say the least. We sat at a table of four for a long time, but we eventually did not agree with the man’s constant complaints about everything, and the speed with which he wanted to be served felt like a fast food restaurant. Yet he wanted to lose weight. I told him once, when the time was right, that he would lose weight if he would wait 15 seconds after each bite, eating slower would make him feel full sooner, so he would eat less.
Sometimes, when I can’t bear our chagrin about things any longer, I write a letter to Management with a copy to kitchen Management and regional Management. Oh, I love writing those letters, they are good! I can state everything clearly and feel good about it, because I know I am right. So then we have a meeting, they explain things from their point of view, promise to do something about it, and we sit back for a while.
Waffles
The dining room invested in a waffle iron! On certain days, they provide a bottle with batter on the counter next to it and you can make your own Belgian waffle. It is nice for a change, but they are always soft and I like my waffles crisp, so I take them home and put them in the toaster oven for a few minutes. Delicious.
August Audiobook Promotion!
The Audiobook of Rising from the Shadow of the Sun, https://youtu.be/jO4jcZ1dh3M will be available throughout the month of August for a discounted price to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the end of the War in the Pacific. Get it at your favorite store: Apple Books, Google Play Book Store, Nook Audiobooks, eStories, LibroFM, and Instaread.
I am going to run some promotions this August through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter because I know that my audience has not reached its full potential. If you know of anyone who has not read my books, would you do me a favor and spread the word? Post it on your Facebook or Instagram or elsewhere? Or, purchase some Christmas gifts early! Now that’s a thought! And one more thing: I can give you a Promo Code for a free Audiobook in exchange for a review on Amazon. Reviews are so important for us authors.
It’s a Wonderful Life!
Until next time,
Ronny