I use a mail order prescription company, part of my retirement benefits from The New York Times. They have recently offered an automatic renewal service that takes the burden of remembering stuff off the patient’s hands. They E mail you to be sure you wish to renew a particular prescription before they fill it.

But here’s the rub. Some years ago someone at the medical facility I use got their panties in a twist and won’t deal with this company. Why, I asked, the first time I was late getting a renewal and asked the doctor’s office to fax the provider. “We don’t deal with them. They don’t get back to us.”

I wrote a really irate letter full of sarcasm, accusing them of wallowing in petty bureaucracy, and throwing their weight around to feel important because their lives were so miserable.

I let that sit in my computer a couple of days and rewrote it. It now has a gentle, graceful tone. I am sitting here chewing nails, but I’ll be graceful because I really do want them to re-think their policy. I hate (as you all must know) to kiss ass, but sometimes it solves the problem.

Did I ever mention that early on during my art course, I got an E mail that said would I please pay up? So I E mailed back that I had given my check to someone at the class the first day, so if they didn’t get it, I’d have to nail her and find out what happened to it.

I got an E mail back telling me that they didn’t need me in the association (they obviously thought I was going to do mob business on this women). They said they had sent this E mail to everyone. I wrote back that I had assumed every one on that list was a deadbeat and perhaps they should have used a phrase like, “For those of you have not yet paid …”) But no one knows how to say what they mean anymore.

I knew it was a no-win. So I finally E mailed a graceful apology for my inadvertent use of big city talk. This is a small community. I might run afoul of some of these twits when it might mean something to me that they not work against me. Meanwhile, I am thinking, what an incredible bunch of rubes with petty power throwing their weight around and thinking well of themselves. But they accepted my apology and all is cool. But I am still thinking oh @#$%$#$.

Color me grown up.

Xx, Teal