So, I laugh at myself a lot. Everybody else is going to laugh at me, so why not join in? I do and say silly things…and it’s funny. So why not laugh? Sometimes I will randomly remember something I did or said that was dumb or funny and I will laugh about it. Today I remembered something silly that I did over 25 years ago…and I laughed. So I decided to share.
I was very involved in church at the time and had some very strong opinions. One of those strong opinions was about “Taking the Lord’s name in vain”. So when they moved a new coworker into the desk behind me…and she was, well, not so sensitive to these things…I was a bit stressed. Every time something frustrated her, she would say “Jesus Christ!” Well, needless to say, this was very offensive to me at the time.
I ignored it at first, hoping that she would relax a little. But it kept up. One day I tried to gently tell her that I found this offensive and wished that she wouldn’t say it. I got an earful about her right to say whatever she wanted. While I was frustrated, I believed she did have a point. Free country, and all that. But it still bothered me.
Using her own logic - that she had a right to say whatever she wanted - I began to break down the argument. I asked her why she would say someone’s name just because she was frustrated. Why didn’t she say “Ronald Reagan!” or “Lucille Ball!” I tried to make a joke of it so that maybe she would see my perspective a little and try to stop. Unfortunately, this only made it worse. She told me I was ridiculous.
So I decided to live up to her assessment…and be ridiculous. One day I got frustrated with something on my desk and said “Jessie Gonzales!” To which, she replied, “What?” I said, “Oh, nothing. I’m just frustrated.” I did it again later and she said “What? Why do you keep saying my name?” I told her that she says “Jesus Christ” when she is frustrated and based on her arguments with me, it seemed to make her feel better…so I had decided to say a name when I was frustrated too. So I picked HER name.
Within about two days, she was so annoyed that she said she was going to talk to our supervisor if I didn’t stop saying her name. I told her I would stop saying her name if she would stop saying His. She was livid and told me again that I was ridiculous. I just smiled at her and nodded in agreement.
I added “Oh, Jessie! That is not what I meant to do!”, and “Well, Jessie Gonzales! I can’t believe that happened!” At least one time, she got mad enough that she got up from her desk and stormed away.
I’m not sure what she said to our manager. Or what our manger said to her. But after about a week of this, she got real quiet and stopped saying pretty much anything while at her desk. I still asked her every day how she was…and I still greeted her and was as polite to her as ever. But she didn’t talk. True to my word, I stopped saying her name when she stopped saying his.
A few months later, she quit and left the company. I don’t know if it had anything to do with me or our issue. But still to this day, I laugh about this ridiculous situation. I wonder if she ever remembers this story and thinks “That bitch was crazy.” I kind of hope she does.
