I Think the Call to Dell was the Tipping Point

You may have noticed that I can be moody, negative, and pessimistic. And that's on my good days. While I was intending to write about my love of parades today, I think I just need to vent instead. So bear with me. Or come back on Wednesday when hopefully I will have a sunnier outlook. See the reality is, right now Life is kicking my ass.

This state I find myself in can be traced back to the big stuff, those milestones that should really be called millstones cause frankly, they can get heavy and weigh you down:

You're born
You grow up
You get married
You buy a house
You have a job
You have children
You have relatives

And then the challenges become more nuanced:

You undertake home improvements
Your kids become hormonal
You worry about your parents
Your spouse makes you crazy
Your friends move away
You move up a dress size
Your team loses
Your meds lose effectiveness
You brush your teeth in the wrong sink
You spend more time with Dell tech support than you do with your family

We've all been there. And we all know that eventually, Life will ease up on us a bit if only to gather renewed strength for knocking us back down. Being a wicked tough 2nd degree black belt, I can take it. What I can't take are the pie in the sky, rose-colored glasses, count your blessings responses to my frustration, depression, or angst. From a marketing perspective, I get it. But personally, it bugs the crap out of me.

Dell Technical Support is my happy-go-lucky case in point. If you're calling Dell to speak to someone with a thick Indian accent, you're clearly to the point of taking desperate measures. Unfortunately, I've reached this point on two occasions in the last two weeks. Over the past two years, I've been on the phone with Dell technicians no less than half a dozen times. This may explain why I've been in a bad mood for roughly 730 days.

Dell technicians must be required, at gun point, to tell you that "Everything will be absolutely fine." "We will fix the problem completely." I don't know that they even hear what you've had to say before they assure you that all will be right with the world when you're done with them. I'm relatively certain I could tell them that I've dropped my laptop off a 50 story building and it's laying on the sidewalk in roughly 2,538 pieces and they would say "This is not a problem. We can help you. Now may I please have your Express Service Code?" I may call to tell them I've just robbed a convenience store in order to get the money to replace my damn Dell laptop and see if I get the standard "This is nothing we can't fix" response.

The best part of the Dell phone call is the point at which they pass you off to a supervisor who makes certain you were satisfied with the outcome of the call. Hmmm. Satisfied? I just spent three-plus hours with your guy on the phone, trying to decipher what it is he is telling me to do, sobbing uncontrollably at one point, and you want to know if I'm satisfied? Let's define "satisfied," shall we?

Let's be honest. There are times in our lives when being reassured that everything will be fine, or being told to count our blessings just doesn't cut it. Sometimes it really just all goes to hell in a hand basket and we have to suck it up until it passes. I think the best advice I've received during this rough patch came today from a Judson Press author. On Facebook I respectfully requested that Life ease up on me a bit. Dr. Kirk Byron Jones responded that my request is one we can all identify with and he suggested,

If life doesn't ease up, you do. Grace yourself.

I've decided to take his advice. On Saturday I leave for the holy land, the destination of all those seeking serenity, hope, and grace. I'm off to Vegas, baby, Vegas. Pray for me.