JoAnne's Blog

"Um, Joe, I'm uncomfortable with this."

"This is what they want us to do."

"No, really, I'm uncomfortable with this."

We are in a car driving on a lawn, down a steep hill, steering between trees. I'm supposed to be presenting for K W Hab at their annual 5 0aks conference. It's a high point in my year as I love these guys. But JoAnne is insisting that we drive over the lawn and park somewhere down by the patio. Its clear that this lawn isn't made for driving, the car is at a precarious angle and I'm now sweating.

"I don't feel comfortable with this." I'm speaking this way because I was reading an article in O magazine while waiting at the hospital. Someone was writing about respectful communication and rather than say, "Turn the #$%^ing car around right #$%^ing now," which they say is effective but rude, I'm supposed to say, "I feel uncomfortable with this."

Now we are stopped on a little dell overlooking the side of the building and we can see the patio in the distance. JoAnne is wearing an orange teeshirt and is wildly gesticulating that we continue down the lawn. Joe has this glazed look on his face, it's the one that says, "This is stupid but I don't want to upset JoAnne because she's so nice." Joe given the opportunity to choose between upsetting me and upsetting someone else, always figures I'll forgive him anything so he opts, like always, for pleasing JoAnne.

Finally I resort to, "Turn the #$%^in car around we are driving on grass, on someone's lawn between decorative #$%^ing trees. The building has an elevator, we can use the elevator to get down."

Joe looks at me and says, "JoAnne is really nice but what possessed her to have us careen over lawn and garden?"

I know exactly what possessed her.

She tried to figure out exactly how my visit could be made better, the building more accessible, the experience more memorable. She was thinking outside the box, much lauded but often inadvisable, and came up with this slightly demented plan.

As we said goodbye, JoAnne said, "This is going to be a blog isn't it?"

Yep.