I was reading through the “Best of Afterburner” again, and the piece on “Civility” provoked a comment. Since the Afterburner clips don’t seem to be available on this site, I’ll comment here.
I noticed a couple of things when picking up a prescription yesterday after my chemo appointment. (Since I was already on site, it was convenient to pick it up then). The pharmacy tech behind the counter at the pickup area remembered me. The nurses have asked me to use a cane, at least, so I don’t risk losing my balance, and forcing people to violate social distancing in order to assist me. (I don’t think it’s that bad, but still…)
So I’ve been using a walking stick I bought at a science fiction convention in the last millennium. It’s five feet of cocobola wood with an iridescent glass ball in a “raven’s claw” setting on the end. It’s very attractive, very distinctive, and a lot harder for me to forget and leave behind. (I’ve already lost one cane that way.)
But people remember my “social distancing stick”.
But the fact that I’m pleasant, courteous, and generally fun to talk to means that I’m remembered in a good way. The pharmacy tech called me over and was very helpful on my latest visit. I suspect if I’d been a PITA, he’d have found all kinds of things that urgently needed doing before he helped me.