customers

[Barbara Richmond]

I would like to address the issue of making jokes about
our jobs, ourselves, customers, their children and dogs.
Humor is a great stress and frustration reliever. When
any professional group I have been involved with gets
together, jokes about the people involved the line of
work are a given. It allows us to relate our common
experience to one another. So, as long as teachers make
jokes about their students and ministers joke with other
ministers about life in the church (Yes, they do it--my
husband is an Episcopal priest, but no longer full-time in
a parish, Thank God) people will be joking about, if not
biting the hand that feeds them.  I *am* grateful for my
customers (well, *some* more than others) but the fact
remains that they do some things that I consider pretty
funny.  For the most part, I would estimate the
intelligence level of my customers as average to above
average.  Of course, there are a few that I suspect of
operating a few sandwiches short of a picnic!  In fact, rarely
do I have a problem with a person in regard to their
brightness--the psychological state or mental health of the
person is the biggest factor in communicating! Remember,
laughter is the best medicine!

Barbara Richmond
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois
berich@heartland.bradley.edu